Strays, Episode 1: Lost Homes
by Wild Cat 214
Summary: All her life, Cog has wanted to be like the other people in Faded Dreams: bonded to a flying monster. When a boy named Hiccup crashes into her house on his dragon, it seems like she might finally get her wish. But Dreams has a secret, and Cog is closer to the truth about the Catastrophe than she thinks. Platonic HiccupxOC.
1. Chapter 1

_**Chapter 1: Those Who Left, and Those Left Behind**_

 **Author's Notes: So I have decided to use the common what-if of Hiccup leaving before the fight with the Monstrous Nightmare, but I'm taking it beyond that. I'm gonna have him leave... the Barbaric Archipelago!**

 **DUN DUN DUN!**

 **I'm not sure how much I'll be able to update this, what with TaC, FF, and BE:UL, but I'll do my best. All I have to do is give up sleep.**

 **Disclaimer: Same old spiel, people. No one and nothing from How To Train Your Dragon is mine. Just my own creations belong to moi.**

* * *

"Leaving! We're leaving. Let's pack up. Looks like you and me are going on a little vacation. Forever," Hiccup called into the cove. He didn't want to kill the Monstrous Nightmare, but he also didn't want to disappoint his father and the rest of the village. So, he had decided to leave. Let them search all they wanted for him. Hiccup was going to fly as far away as possible with Toothless, because he really didn't have a choice. Eventually the village would discover them, he would either be killed or exiled, and Toothless would be killed mercilessly. That wasn't an option.

The Night Fury he had befriended came up to him curiously and sniffed the basket he had brought.

"Hey, bud. You ready to go?" Hiccup asked, pulling on the straps of his riding gear and fixing the basket onto his dragon's saddle. Toothless warbled in reply and flicked his tail up and down, as if asking why they were going.

"We can't stay here, bud. If my dad finds you, he'll have your head as a trophy, and I'll probably be next," he explained, climbing into the saddle and patting his head soothingly. Toothless growled uncertainly, but as his rider's foot slipped into the switch for his fin, the urge to take to the skies overwhelmed any doubts, and together they leaped into the sky with one powerful beat of his massive wings.

As they flew away from Berk, Hiccup gave his home one last glance. The paint on the new houses gleamed in the waning light, and if he concentrated, he could see a few people going about their business before the nightly raid. Maybe one of them was Astrid, or Gobber, or even his dad. Would they care if he left? Would they notice him being gone? Or would they just forget about him, Hiccup the failure, after a few months?

It didn't matter. Soon, he and Toothless would be free, and they wouldn't have to worry about being discovered. This was the only way to make everyone happy.

Even if it hurt to leave his home behind.

* * *

The intrepid duo had been flying for hours, the shining ocean below broken only by a few small islands. The full moon illuminated the night, and it reminded him of how long he had been gone. Had Gobber begun to worry about him? Had his father even noticed he was gone? Questions like these circled endlessly as Toothless flew on, and they didn't notice the storm descending upon them until it was too late. They were swept up by a sudden squall and carried into the flashing depths of the thunderheads, and there was no one to see the impossibly bright burst of light that enveloped them.

* * *

The night guard wasn't sure who to go to for his newest problem. He had been making his usual circuit of the Academy when he found the child on the front step. The little girl was probably a year old, with fluffy, pure white hair and a plain blanket wrapped around her against the cold. And tonight was exceptionally icy, for a blizzard was starting. Faded Dreams always had some pretty severe storms in winter, but this was shaping up to be the worst in his lifetime.

He picked up the girl, who had only just started to chill. Whoever had abandoned her must have left moments before he arrived. The cloth rustled uncharacteristically, and he found a piece of paper folded up next to the sleeping girl. There was no time and no light to read it, because the anolite crystals posted next to the imposing doors of the Academy were starting to be blocked out by the increasing snow swirling around him. The only thing he could do was take her inside and to his room, where he found a spare crystal to read the note by. All it said was:

 _Take care of Cog._

There was no surname mentioned, no way of telling whose daughter she was, but as the blizzard raged outside, he thought about the name of an extinct line in Faded Dreams.

Winterstorm.

They had been a legendary family of monster trainers that had been wiped out a hundred years previously in the last war against Forgotten Wishes. It was probably asking a bit much of this child to live up to that legacy, but the part of him that was faithful to the sky gods prayed for her success.

His name was Verndari Barna. He would never know how she would grow up.

* * *

 **Author's Notes: Thus, the beginning of yet another of my HTTYD stories ends! I hope you guys like it. _Strays_ is going to be a series of at least fifteen "episodes," each one a story, and if I told you what I have planned, you might decide to smack me. Or kiss me. Or lock me up.**

 **I got the idea for this story, surprisingly enough, from a drawing I did of a two-headed dragon for a sketchbook assignment in my advanced art class. It won't appear right away, but that dragon is important to the story.**

 **Wild Cat 214, out!**


	2. Chapter 2

**_Chapter 2: Watch Your Step_**

 **Author's Notes: It's time for Hiccup and Cog to meet, and things aren't going to start off very well for the two of them. Culture shock can do that to a person. But Cog has grown up since we last saw her, and now she's got a friend. No, it's not Hiccup. Not yet, anyways. They need to work a few things out before then.**

 **Review(s):**

 **MMM (Feb. 27, Chapter 1) – Oh, yes he will. But I'm not putting that in just yet. Sadly, Hiccup did not free the dragons when he left. He was kinda busy getting ready to go and didn't have time to free them. Plus, there were a lot of people near the arena, even after the training. It would have made his life a lot harder to help them out. But I have much planned. And yes, he will have a new love, after many, many things happen. It's gonna take a while, though, so don't hold your breath.**

 **Disclaimer: How To Train Your Dragon belongs to DreamWorks and Cressida Cowell. All I own is my original content.**

 **Key:**

 **0*0*0 - scene change**

 **Horizontal line – perspective change**

* * *

Today seemed like a good day to sleep in. I didn't have to go into Faded Dreams until later, Nuts was off getting some food, and I didn't have to make any dye today, thanks to my recent efforts in the dye works. It had been a week, and the smell from working with indigo was finally starting to fade. Who knows? Maybe I could actually walk within five feet of people and not have to worry about them complaining about the stench.

They'd complain anyways, but at least it wouldn't be my odor they'd be talking about.

I curled up on my cot and snuggled into the worn blanket. It was spring, but up here, the cold laster a few weeks longer than the world below. That was the price humanity paid for safety from the hostile monsters.

Before I could fall back into sleep's sweet embrace, there was a repetitive clapping above me, and I blearily opened my eyes. Nuts had his tail wrapped around his perch, a small bundle clenched in his tiny feet, and his wings slapping together like hands. Of course, they did look like hands, but still. Most monsters don't do that.

Then again, most monsters weren't tiny, dragon class, rare, brown and black Claptraps, either.

"Hey, Nuts. Is that breakfast?" I called up to him, reaching over and grabbing my fur vest. Now that I was awake, I might as well finish getting dressed. The main sleeping area was below the entrance, so I always had to look up if he was on his perch. Today, he replied with a happy chirp. That meant we had gotten a good deal on the sample of red hair dye I usually sent him out with, and that meant decent food, for once.

"Show me." He dropped from the perch and effortlessly glided down with the parcel, depositing it on my lap before landing on the other end of the cot. I unwrapped the food and gaped at what he had gotten. Two whole loaves of bread and a few dried fish. It was almost what we normally ate in a week, if we were lucky, so this was a marvelous occasion.

"You know, Nuts, we're gonna have to savor these. There's no knowing when we'll get a meal like this again," I told him seriously. He chirped in reply, sitting up straighter on his tiny feet and wrapping his hand-wings against his body even tighter. I nodded. Even if I couldn't understand his exact words, I got the feelings behind Nuts' words.

"And now, we thank the sky gods for this meal we are about to consume," the chant came out easily, the traditional pre-meal prayer slipping out of my mouth without a second thought. With my hands, I broke one loaf in half, then split one piece into two, and once we had devoured those quarters, it was time to ration out one of the fish. Food like this, especially the seasoned kind, was usually only the territory of the rich snobs who bought my dye and snubbed me in public before going back to their fine homes inside the walls of the palace. Faded Dreams was renowned for its beauty in the Fractured Lands, not its philanthropists.

That was when I was knocked from the cot and into a wall as my entire house shook.

0*0*0

Somehow I managed to avoid any serious injuries, though there would definitely be some bruises later. One of the stands holding up my anolite crystals clattered to the floor, making me wince at the harsh sound, and I shakily sat up.

"W-what in the name of the sky gods was that?!" I managed to work out, turning my face to look at Nuts. He had landed upside down on his head a few feet away, his tail flopping over his pointy muzzle, and all he could do was chirp in confusion. I reached over and righted him, then looked at the wall that had been hit. The stone and mortar had held, a testament to the skill of the city's masons, but there was definitely a crack in the center of the impact. Whatever had hit us was big.

"I guess we should check it out?" I suggested reluctantly. Nuts squeaked in agreement and climbed up my vest, his claws easily finding holds in the thick black fur. Once we was on my shoulder, I straightened the loops that held my dress to my chest, grabbed my apron from its hook on the wall, and picked my way up the ramp to the exit while tying my apron behind me. It settled loosely on my hips, and I decided, at the last minute, to grab the dagger I usually carried whenever I went hunting for the plants for my dyes in the forest. Once I was ready, I undid the tie holding the curtains of my doorway shut and went outside.

0*0*0

The thing had hit on the opposite side of the house, near a large tree I could climb down instead of taking the ladder, so I tentatively stepped along the slats of the walkway around my house to the site.

There was a huge black shape slumped against the wall, with unmistakable limbs spread wide. Whatever that monster was, it could fly.

A flash of movement in the grove of trees that the black monster had come crashing through made me crouch low and press a finger to Nuts. I silently drew my weapon, just in case the thing in the trees was hostile, and waited. Soon, my patience was rewarded.

A boy came out of the clump of greenery and stumbled over to the monster, his clothes a bit warm for this part of the Fractured Lands. That was when the tingling started.

Whoever that boy was, he was bonded to that monster. The tingling proved it. But... I had never seen or heard of a monster like that.

0*0*0

You're probably wondering why I keep referring to Nuts and that black thing as monsters. It's not a judgment on their character. That is the proper term for anything that isn't human, a humanoid creature, or a domesticated animal, and possesses enough intelligence to bond. I have the power to tell when someone is bonded to a monster, even without seeing the sigil on their body. It was probably a way to compensate for the fact that I hadn't bonded to anything larger than a Claptrap monster. That was what the tingling was; it's my body reacting to that unseen connection between two sentient beings.

* * *

Hiccup felt like he had just been trampled by a herd of yaks then subjected to a few rounds against Snotlout in the arena. Where was he? Had that storm thrown them onto some uncharted island in the Archipelago? And what had happened to Toothless?

He managed to climb (and by climb, I mean fall) out of the tree he had been thrown into and looked around. There was a deep gash in the ground and broken branches, just like when he first found Toothless.

'Let's just hope he hasn't lost another fin,' he prayed. The talking fishbone followed the trail carefully, stepping over rocks and branches that had fallen into the furrow created by the Night Fury, and saw something odd. Toothless was slumped headfirst against the stone wall of a round building capped with a tiled pyramid. Hiccup stumbled up to him and saw that the dragon's replacement fin was torn up, but the rest of him seemed okay.

"Oh, thank the gods you're all right, bud," he murmured, holding the dragon's head gently. He opened his eyes and crooned happily, then one of his ear flaps twitched and he looked up. He followed his gaze to see something he certainly wasn't expecting. A guy with fluffy white hair, a black vest, and the greenest eyes Hiccup had ever seen was staring down at them in wonder with a simple dagger in his hands. Toothless growled warningly, and in reply, a tiny brown and black dragon, the same color as the guy's vest and... shirt... thing, appeared on his shoulder and chirped cheerfully. That was when the guy did something really unexpected. He stood up, sheathed his weapon, and shimmied down the nearest tree. As soon as his brown boots touched the ground, he brushed off a brown skirt (which Hiccup found kind of odd, but didn't say anything about) and turned around, tucking the dagger into a pocket on the front of an off-white apron.

The guy held out his right hand, and it took Hiccup a second to realize he wanted him to take it. As soon as he did, he started shaking it with more power than seemed possible in his scrawny arms. Thor's beard, this guy seemed skinnier than himself! His legs, which were mostly hidden in some pale tan tights, were almost giant toothpicks, easily half the strange guy's body height. On the back of his left hand was some sort of four sided figure that looked like a crystal, colored the same brown as the itty bitty dragon on his shoulder.

All this, Hiccup saw while his hand was being pumped up and down and the guy was saying cheerfully, "Hi there! My name's Cog, this guy is nuts, and what's your name?"

He let go, allowing his mind time to catch up with the situation, and Hiccup stared at him cautiously. The guy smiled and just barely tilted his head, almost exactly like the dragon on his shoulder was doing. He was actually waiting for an answer! That was new.

"Uh, Hiccup. Why did you say I was crazy?" he asked warily. The guy furrowed his brow, then chuckled.

"Oh, not you. That's this little guy's name. Nuts, say hi to Hiccup," he said to the dragon.

It was some species he had never seen before, with a foxy head, two tiny ear flaps, and the smallest, most spindly feet he had ever seen on something other than a chicken. Its wings looked like someone had taken the arm of a skeleton and stretched some paper-thin leather over the bones, with the hand splayed out eternally.

Nuts squeaked in greeting and glided over to Toothless, who growled curiously at the little dragon that was crawling all over him. The guy tapped his shoulder, and he turned to face him.

"Where are you two from? I've never seen clothes like yours, or a monster like that, not even when the ships from the north come in. And what's his name? That is, if it's male," he chattered, his voice a bit high for a guy. But then again, Fishlegs had a high-pitched voice whenever he was excited, too. And from his height, hiccup guessed he was probably a few years younger than himself, which would explain quite a bit. Like how energetic he was.

"Um, Cog, Toothless isn't a monster. He's a dragon," he replied dryly. Cog frowned a bit at this, but soon shrugged.

"I can see he's a dragon. I guess every region has a different name for monsters, but I don't know if I've ever heard of a place where they just call them by their general classifications," he replied, clearly not fazed by any of this. Who was this guy? Already, Hiccup's head spun.

"Look, can you just tell us where we are in relation to Berk? We're kind of traveling as far away from there as we can get," he said, beginning to lose his patience. Cog held up his slender hands in a sort of "slow down" gesture.

"Whoa, now. Berk? I've studied every map, every chart, and every atlas that fits today's world, and I've never heard of a region or village called that. And what's with your clothes? Aren't your people proud of showing off their bond marks?" He could have sworn this guy had a bit of envy in his voice for those last two words, but nothing he was saying made any sense, and he had had enough.

"Cog, please just tell me where we are," Hiccup said, trying to hold back all his frustration and confusion. Gods, was he being punished for abandoning his village, his family, and the closest thing he had to friends, just to save a dragon?

Cog raised an eyebrow and sighed.

* * *

"We're on the outskirts of Faded Dreams," I informed Hiccup, getting a little ticked off at his attitude. But I wasn't going to show it just yet. A strange boy crashes into my house on his unknown monster, apparently not knowing where he is and talking about some place called Berk (which was faintly ringing a bell), and I could see this as what it really was. A blessing from the sky gods, in answer to my prayers of the last twelve years. Took them long enough. But at least it had finally happened.

"How far is it? Do you have a boat?" he asked. I nodded slowly and pointed in the direction of my hometown.

"Yeah, I keep it over there, for when I need to go along the river and gather supplies-Hey!" I shouted. Hiccup had started walking toward my canoe as soon as he heard where it was, not even waiting to let me finish.

"I need to use it to get into town. Can you keep Toothless safe for me?" he called over his scrawny shoulder. Why was everyone like this? No one ever listened to little ol' Cog the Dyer. Not even when they seemed to need my advice.

"Hiccup, that's really not a good idea..." I trailed off. He was a bit too far into the foliage to hear me.

"Toothless, that stupid rider of yours is going to get himself killed," I told the black dragon before running after him. If he kept going, he was going to be in for a very nasty fall.

0*0*0

I managed to catch up to Hiccup just before he left the tree line. Right when one foot was swinging out of the forest, I grabbed the back of his vest and pulled as hard as I could. We toppled backwards, Hiccup landing on my legs (yet another bruise I would have to deal with), and I scrambled to my feet at the same time as him.

"What are you doing?"

"Are you crazy?"

We shouted at the same time, and for a moment we just stared at each other silently. Finally, I motioned for him to go first. He took a deep breath before speaking.

"What are you doing, Cog?" he asked, barely concealing his fury. I pointed at the edge of the forest.

"I could ask the same of you! You were about to go over the edge of the island. Maybe on Berk you fall off of islands regularly, but I kinda like knowing nobody's done it on mine." My reply must have confused him, because he just stared at me like I was insane. That made two of us.

"What in Valhalla are you talking about?" Hiccup exclaimed. I groaned exasperatedly and grabbed his slender wrist. Maybe his brains had been knocked loose in that crash.

"Come on. I need to show you something," I grumbled, pulling him after me to another part of the island. He had actually been a bit off when he was going to my boat, because it was a bit to the east that we went. I stopped in the middle of a clearing at the edge of the island, and I would have had to be deaf to not hear his shocked gasp. Well, the sight of Faded Dreams did that to people seeing it for the first time.

A series of floating islands chained together with bridges stretching over a foggy woodland, Faded Dreams was the center of the Land of the Faded. On some islands, clusters of homes like mine, tents for merchants, and the gates for the bridges had been built. On others, huge, ornate buildings represented the more official structures. The first few airships of the day were heading in and out of the docks, their aerocite and aqualite engines releasing huge clouds of steam into the morning air. Everything was bathed in the golden light of the sun, making it seem a lot grander than it really was, and off on the farthest island, hovering over the green Mound of the Beast, was the royal palace of Dreams.

I turned my head to look at Hiccup and an idea came to me. Maybe he could help me get my fondest wish. The sky gods wouldn't have made them hit my house if they couldn't get me what I wanted most of all: a flying monster of my own, just like everyone else in Faded Dreams. Now all I had to do was get him to take me into town.

"Still think you could get there with my boat?" I asked playfully. All Hiccup did was gape at the city like a fish out of water, his green eyes wide as dishes. And despite myself, I couldn't blame him.

* * *

 **Author's Notes: Yeah, that's why it's called Watch Your Step. And how's that for culture shock?**

 **Okay, this is more of a personal question for you writers who post here. Do you frequently post a new chapter and then refresh the Manage Stories page a lot just to see if someone's reviewed? Am I the only one who wants to see feedback as soon as possible? Or am I just being weird?**

 **Well, it was really three questions, but that's just details. As always, I'd love to hear back from you guys! But you don't have to, if you don't want to. That's okay... I won't judge...**

 **Fine. I'd judge a bit, then realize you have better to do than gratify a writer like myself.**

 **Wild Cat 214, out!**


	3. Chapter 3

**_Chapter 3: New World, New Look_**

 **Author's Notes: In this, we learn a bit about the history of the Fractured Lands and meet a new character! He's kinda minor, but still important. Strut is one of Cog's few friends in this world. For now.**

 **Reviews:**

 **MMM (Mar. 4, Chapter 2) – Stoick, at this time, is waiting for Hiccup to come home. The storm also hit Berk, so he thinks that his son might be waiting it out somewhere. And if I told you what was happening on Berk at the time, it would count as spoilers. But I'll tell you this. Things are about to go downhill very quickly.**

 **The Story Of Your Life (Mar. 4, Chapter 2) – Thanks! Yeah, Hiccup thinks Cog is a guy, mostly because of physical traits and how she talks. I explain (well, Cog explains) why that is in the next chapter. I already have about half of this story written up (at the time of my typing this), so be prepared for the rest soon! And it's nice to know I'm not the only one who does that. I just get really excited when I see that people are looking at my story, and then all I can think is "Why aren't they reviewing? Did something happen to them in the few seconds it takes to review?"**

 **I'm sorry for talking so much.**

 **Disclaimer: The only parts I own are my original content. The rest is DreamWorks and Cressida Cowell's stuff.**

 **Key:**

 **0*0 - scene change**

 **Horizontal line – perspective change**

* * *

Hiccup finally managed to get his brain working again and looked at Cog.

"Th-those islands are floating," he sputtered. The other guy nodded slowly, giving him a concerned look.

"Well, of course they are. Otherwise there wouldn't be a city on them. Haven't you ever seen a skycity?" the boy answered. The way he was acting suggested this was all perfectly normal to him. It made his head hurt just thinking about where that storm had thrown them.

"Where I come from, all settlements are on islands in the middle of the ocean, and there are definitely no flying islands," he replied as calmly as he could. Maybe this was all some fevered dream and he was really asleep on some island in the archipelago. Maybe he could just wake up and-

"OW!"

The feeling of being pinched shattered that hope and made Hiccup rub his arm gingerly. He glared at Cog, who had inflicted it upon him and was now watching him cautiously.

"What did I do this time?" he shouted painfully. The other guy shook his head.

"Hiccup, I won't judge you if you came from a grounded village, but an ocean? Everyone knows the oceans haven't existed for centuries, not since the Catastrophe," he stated reproachfully. Hiccup stared at Cog in disbelief. There was no ocean? How did they get enough fish to feed the tribe, then? How was he going to feed Toothless? How was he going to feed himself?

"What about fish?" Please tell me you have that, at least. That's what Toothless eats," he asked worriedly. Cog shrugged and glanced back in the direction of the building.

"I should have a dried fish left. I was going to save it for later this week, but Nuts can probably get us more, right?" he replied uncertainly, glancing at the dragon clinging to his shoulder with his tiny feet. He chirped again, nervously this time, and fluttered toward the city. He waved goodbye, then his eyes shot back to Hiccup.

"Come on. I think we have some talking to do." He spun around and began jogging back to the building, ignoring the bushes that caught at his skirt.

'What a strange guy,' he thought before following him.

* * *

I waited until Hiccup had caught up with me before pulling down the ladder to the walkway. Homes for lower and middle class citizens were built based on old designs that people had used before they could get to the floating islands, so there was a walkway around the middle of a tall cylinder capped with a pyramidal roof, and the doorway was somewhere along that ring of wood, with a ladder to get up and a curved ramp to get down to the ground on the inside. It kept most monsters and wild animals out, and usually people placed special screens behind the curtains, to be pulled shut at night. Of course, my dress made it necessary to have Hiccup go first.

"After you," I said, bowing slightly and indicating the ladder. He looked at me suspiciously, but since I hadn't given him any reason to fear me, the scrawny boy climbed up, and I followed. Once we reached the top, I showed Toothless, who had come around to join us, a place where he could climb up, since he showed no sign of flying up to us, and I led them inside.

"Hopefully Nuts will bring us some more fish, though I wouldn't get my hopes up. Fish is pretty valuable, because you have to go to the ground to get it, and the earth gods don't like trespassers without express permission. That's why you have to get a special permit from the priesthood before you can go down," I chattered, making sure I moved the more fragile things out of the way of Toothless as we went down the ramp. Hiccup looked around in surprise.

"Uh, I hope you don't mind me asking, but why's it so messy?" I rolled my eyes, righted a few anolite stands and some furniture, and sat on my cot. Hiccup sat against Toothless, his knees drawn up to his chest and his arms resting on top, on the opposite side of the room. It wasn't a big house – there was only a few feet between us – but there was enough space for both of us to feel comfortable.

"Well, it might have been because _someone_ crashed into my house, 'cause normally it's a lot cleaner than this," I replied dryly. He blushed and looked at Toothless, who seemed just as flustered as him.

"Yeah... Sorry about that. We were caught up in this storm and couldn't see where we were going," he explained, putting a hand to his bonded monster's head. I nodded and looked at him seriously.

"Maybe the sky gods wanted you to come here. You could help me with my problem," I told him quietly. He gave me a confused look, and my pulling out a mirror didn't help. It was a bit cracked, but that's how it had always been. Some rich people had thrown it out because it's bad luck to keep a mirror you broke, so I had taken it home. Not because I was vain, but because I like experimenting with hair dye and it helped me sense my own bond with Nuts. The crystal on the back of my hand was proof, but it was nice to be double sure my powers worked. Whenever I looked in the mirror, I got the tingles.

"I doubt these sky gods care about us. Toothless and I were just passing through on our way to... well, I'm not sure where we were going, but it was away from Berk," he replied bitterly. I cocked my head to the side, a habit I had picked up from Nuts, and raised an eyebrow.

"There you go again with Berk. I've told you already, I've never heard of a village, city, or region called that, and I've studied a lot of current maps. If there was a human settlement named Berk anywhere in the Fractured Lands or beyond, it would have been marked. We're few enough as it is." At this, Hiccup looked at me quickly, alarm in every feature.

"What do you mean? I knew I wasn't in the Barbaric Archipelago, but I've never heard of the Fractured Lands. And what do you mean by 'few enough as it is?'" he asked worriedly. I sighed and looked him in the eye.

"Are you telling me you've never heard the stories about the Catastrophe that burned the land, boiled the sea, and nearly wiped out humanity? The event that caused more monsters than ever before to be created from the ashes of the world? The destruction of the world that made islands fly and oceans disappear? Who are you, Hiccup, to not know these things?" I exclaimed incredulously. He sighed and buried his face in his arms.

"I don't even know anymore. First I betrayed my whole village by befriending their worst enemy, then I run away to save that enemy, and now I'm sitting in a weird house on a floating island talking to a complete stranger. What's happened to my life?" Hiccup groaned, his voice muffled by the cloth of his tunic. All I could do was remain silent. Clearly, Hiccup had a life as bad as mine, if not worse.

But thankfully, something happened that made our lives a little better.

* * *

Hiccup looked up from his brief meltdown when they heard a rapping against the side of the house. Cog seemed confused, so he set aside the broken mirror and went up the ramp cautiously, getting ready to pull out his dagger if necessary. He pulled aside one curtain and waited.

A man wearing a hat with three points peeked inside, saw the boy's weapon, and jumped back a bit in alarm. Cog laughed in relief and put the dagger down.

"Ha! It's just you, _Kaupmaður_ Strut. What are you doing here?" he said cheerfully, letting the guy come inside and look around. He seemed a bit surprised to see Hiccup and Toothless among the mess, but he didn't say anything. From his clothes, he guessed the guy was some sort of trader, except for one thing. His shirt had no back to it, just pauldrons with string connecting the back to the front!

"I came to pick you up and take you to Faded Dreams. Nuts came by again and wouldn't stop pestering me until I did so," Strut replied, the dragon they were talking about peeping out over the leather pauldrons on the man and jumping over to his position on the boy's shoulder. Nuts squeaked proudly, making his partner cringe. It must have been right in his ear. Hiccup chuckled, and the guy looked down at him.

"Anyways, who's that? I've never seen a monster like that before, nor clothing like his," he asked Cog, pointing down at them. Hiccup frowned, but couldn't really say anything. Apparently Faded Dreams had never seen anyone from Berk before. Right when Hiccup was about to answer, Cog broke in for him.

"The human is Hiccup and the dragon is Toothless. They're from really far away, and they don't take kindly to calling a person's bond animal a monster," he introduced them quickly, skirting around the mention of Berk neatly. Strut took this in stride and waved in welcome.

"Nice to meet you, Hiccup. I see you've run into Cog Winterstorm, the town's dyer. I must ask, why are you hiding your bond marks? Aren't your people proud of them?" he asked, sitting on the edge of the ramp in front of the door. Hiccup chuckled nervously.

"Um, where I'm from, it's very cold," he explained vaguely. Bond marks? He didn't have any bond marks.

Did he?

The older man nodded in understanding, his dark eyes twinkling.

"I see. Well, you won't have to worry about that anymore. Faded Dreams is quite pleasant, now that spring is here. Tell you what. On the way into the city, I'll lend you some clothes that are more appropriate for the weather. I assume you're coming with us?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Hiccup looked to Cog for guidance, who was silently begging him to say yes. He sighed inwardly and nodded.

"Yeah. Do you think you have room for both of us? Toothless is having trouble flying," he answered, and as if to prove his point, the Night Fury showed them the replacement fin on his tail. The leather was shredded and the wires were mangled, probably a result of the storm and the trees, so there was no way to fix it unless he could get to a forge.

Strut smirked and gave him a thumbs-up. Cog sighed in relief and smiled at him. Nuts chirped happily and clapped his wings together. Toothless growled uncertainly and brushed his tail over his head. And Hiccup? He was just glad they would be going somewhere with food and a place to repair Toothless' flight gear.

* * *

We left once I had grabbed a few things, including my mirror, and Strut had prepared the _Cloud Jumper_. The trader disappeared into his cabin just before take off and came back out with a bundle of cloth.

"Here you are, my boy. Put these on and no one will bother you in town," he said kindly. Hiccup took the clothes and went behind a few crates of spyder silk to get changed. A few minutes later, he came out, and I couldn't help but notice Strut had good taste.

The young man now wore a green shirt with some darker green embroidered leaves on the collar and the hem, a pair of brown leggings, and his boots. He looked a bit uncomfortable as he tied the braided leather cord that served as a belt around his waist, letting the ends dangle down freely.

"This feels weird," he muttered. I grinned and looked at Strut.

"Where did you get clothes in the right size?" I asked curiously. He smirked and put a finger to his nose.

"Just between us, I don't always trade for money. Some people pay me with clothing or goods. I just looked at him and guessed," he replied knowingly. We turned back to look at the awkward boy as Toothless sniffed him and gave him a funny look. Hiccup scowled and looked at us.

"Why are they so light? I feel naked," he grumbled, lifting up part of his shirt. I walked over and gave him a once over. He was only a bit wider than I was, and he looked like a twig. Other than that, he looked like a native of the city. Too bad he didn't seem to understand basic Faded Dreams etiquette. I put a hand on his shoulder and looked at Strut.

"Will you excuse us for a bit? Hiccup and I need to talk for a bit," I said politely. He grinned widely and allowed us into his cabin. It wasn't very big (the _Cloud Jumper_ was, from stem to stern, only thirty feet, and the cabin took up a third of that length), but it would do. I found the captain's looking glass and sat Hiccup down in front of it, taking this chance to see his bond marks. There was a brown crystal shape on the upper half of his narrow back, the long part pointing toward a small black diamond with two smaller diamonds to the right and left of it, and below those was a solid black crystal, the long part pointing up to the diamond. I stared at them longingly. If only I had bond marks like those. All I had was a white crystal in the same place as Hiccup's brown, and that had been there since I was born. I didn't have my major bond just yet. But with his help, I would soon. I could feel it.

"Uh, Cog, what are you looking at?" Hiccup said worriedly. I looked up and saw his concerned face in the mirror, so I did what I could. I smiled.

"Oh, just your bond marks. They're very nice," I replied, poking the center diamond with one finger. He jerked forward, away from that touch, and whipped his head around.

"What bond marks? I don't have any," he shot back, clearly upset. I furrowed my brow.

"Yes, you do. Let me show you," I said matter-of-factly. With one hand, I turned his head back to the mirror, and with the other, I pulled my mirror out of the bag. I held it so that he could see his marks in the mirror before him, and I grinned at his wide open mouth.

"When did those get there?" he asked quietly. I shrugged and put the mirror back.

"Well, have you ever felt a stinging sensation on your back after bonding with Toothless?" I queried. That was a sign of the bonding process. He shook his head.

"No, all I felt was scared and amazed and... wait. When we were caught in the storm, there was this sort of stinging on my back. It was just before we crashed into your island. I thought it was just rain," he informed me, his voice hushed with wonder. I nodded sagely.

"There you go. You know, you're pretty lucky. I've never bonded with anything larger than Nuts," I told him sadly. The little dragon chirped in melancholy agreement on my shoulder and nuzzled my cheek. My hand went up to him while I sighed.

"Why not?" Hiccup asked, instantly curious. I scowled and placed my other hand on his head.

"Never you mind. Now, then. A quick lesson on how to act in Faded Dreams. Clearly, you need to know these things." With that, I began telling him what to do, what not to do, and how he should act. It seemed to take forever, but by the end of the lecture, there was the characteristic tremor of docking, and Strut came in to tell us we had arrived.

I was back in Faded Dreams, but this time, I had a friend.

* * *

 **Author's Notes: Okay, so it's kinda filler, but also important stuff. You guys need to know a bit of what happened to make this world the way it is. I have much planned for the Catastrophe, where it began, and what caused it, but you won't find out what until the next episode. Yes, I am a terrible, terrible person for making you wait that long. But I plan on this story only being ten chapters (I have the summaries already written out), so it's gonna be a short fic. Of course, right now I have eighteen episodes planned, so that's about 180 chapters, if I do ten per story.**

 **Wow, I'm writing really choppily in that paragraph. Better work on that *makes note of it***

 **Anyways, please review! I love hearing from you guys! It makes me happy to see feedback.**

 **Wild Cat 214, out!**


	4. Chapter 4

**_Chapter 4: Faded Dreams and Winter Storms_**

 **Author's Notes: You know, as I was writing this, all I could think was, 'Hiccup really can't handle gender cues, can he?' But just think. All the women he's known have been tough fighters, not a happy-go-lucky dyer like Cog. And you'll see why it was a bit harder for him to tell at first. Hint 1: Cog has a very boyish figure. Hint 2: Family stuff.**

 **And I've decided to be nice and post this next chapter on the same day as the previous.** ** _Oh, the huge manatee!_**

 **Reviews:**

 **MMM (Mar. 6, Chapter 3) – They'll get along swimmingly. Or flying-ly, I guess. But don't worry about them. It's Cog you should worry about. Remember, she's the one who can't fly.**

 **The Story Of Your Life (Mar. 6, Chapter 3) – Is that third story The Paradigm, by any chance? And thanks for comparing me to Studio Ghibli. Their movies are wonderful! I've seen Ponyo, Howl's Moving Castle, Castle In The Sky, The Cat Returns, My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, and Kiki's Delivery Service, and they're just so beautiful and awesome! I'm also writing a few non-fanfiction stories, but I haven't finished them yet. And long reviews are definitely fun :3**

 **Disclaimer: Why do I even type this anymore? You all know I own only my variations to the world of HTTYD. That's it.**

 **Key:**

 **0*0*0 - scene change**

 **Horizontal line – perspective change**

* * *

Hiccup gawked at the sight of so many flying ships secured to metal bridges in what must have been a dock. Some were twice the size of the _Cloud Jumper_ , some were big enough for only one person, and a rare few were giants of ships, the four pairs of round metal things on each that released steam a testament to how heavy they were.

Cog slapped a hand to his back, and he cringed at the feeling of air on his bare skin. Faded Dreams was a lot to get used to, especially their strange fashion that made the markings on their backs obvious. Almost everyone wore a shirt or a dress like his, with the front secured by two loops of string or a cloth collar holding it up at the neck. Only Cog and one guy near the biggest ship wore something that covered their backs, and he found it odd.

"Hey, why are you and that guy wearing vests? I thought people didn't like covering their backs," he asked quietly. Cog stiffened and looked away.

"We're Markless," he replied bitterly. "Neither of us have the major bonds everyone else has. Brass over there says it's 'cause he wasn't born in a skycity, but in a grounded village, like you. Me, though..."

Hiccup waited, but the feminine boy didn't finish that thought. What was different about Cog, that he wouldn't have bonded to something?

"What?" he prompted. The other person shook their head, making their hair swing out wildly, then smiled reassuringly.

"It's nothing. Anyways, come on. I need to go see someone important, and I think he might like you," he said. Before Hiccup could say anything, he leaned over the edge of the ship and shouted, "Strut! We're gonna go see Mr. Barna!"

The trader's head popped up from behind a wall and nodded.

"Be careful!" was his reply. Cog grinned and grabbed Hiccup's hand.

"Come on, Hiccup. Let's go see Mr. Barna." They took off into the crowd, Toothless just behind them, and no one paid any attention to them in the hustle and bustle of the docks.

* * *

Once we had left the skydocks and the clouds of steam that always filled them behind, we had entered the less-crowded streets of Faded Dreams. Right now, we were on Merchant's Row, a line of stalls and traders that snaked across the island like a brightly colored Coatl, but what we needed was Healer's Lane, so I tugged Hiccup in that direction. He resisted a bit, but I'm pretty sure it was because he wasn't used to all these sights, and Toothless was quite willing to help us move along. He wasn't too fond of getting close to the other bond animals that frequented the cobblestone road, the multicolored birds and reptiles and mammals and insects that people could ride gazing at him inquisitively alongside their partners.

"Hey, that's Cog who's with them!" someone cried out in surprise, and the entire marketplace hushed as they all strained to see us. The crowd of people parted widely, allowing us to get through, but my face burned. They weren't moving because of respect. A foundling doesn't get respect here, where family is everything. Not even if her name is Winterstorm.

They were moving because they wanted to avoid all contact with the failure that was me.

But right now, it was just making our goal easier to get to, and I didn't mind that. Hiccup didn't say anything as we hurried through the streets, but I could tell he was burning with questions. I was just glad he was waiting for a better time.

We made it to the Hall of Healing, where Mr. Barna was, and I waved to the lady at the front desk.

"Ah, Cog, I see you're here for your visit. Who is that?" she asked politely, glancing at Hiccup and Toothless with mild interest. I shrugged.

"They're my guests," came my earnest reply. In a way, they were my guests. I wasn't sure how long they would be staying here, though. Hiccup had said they were traveling, and the only thing keeping them here was Toothless' tail. I hadn't known them for very long, but I kinda liked having company other than Nuts. Being able to actually hold a real conversation also helped with that. When they were gone, I'd miss them a bit.

"Very well. You know the drill," she replied calmly, waving us on and going back to reading her book. I was shocked, _shocked_ to see it was a volume of the Spyder Chronicles. It was almost as if she had one _every time_ I came to visit.

How many books in that series were there?

We walked down the serene white hallways and stopped just outside the door that marked Mr. Barna's room. I gulped, pulled the door to the side, and stepped through with Hiccup. Toothless was too big, so he had to settle for sticking his head in.

* * *

Hiccup didn't understand why the guy was just lying on a bed with some gold and green rocks set up around him, or why Cog seemed so happy to see him. He did understand that the man was badly hurt. Bandages were wrapped around his torso, arms, and the upper part of his legs, and a few were wrapped around his head. Whoever this Mr. Barna was, he had been severely injured.

"Hey, Mr. Barna. I'm here, and I brought a friend. I know you can't really reply to me, but I wanted you to know that I'm doing all right. Nuts is helping me as best he can. Strut does his best to sell my dyes, and now that I've got Hiccup and Toothless here, I think I might be able to get the life you wanted for me," the boy murmured quietly. He sighed before continuing.

"I know I'm not the daughter you expected, but I'm trying my best. One day, I'll be able to afford more medicite for you, so you can heal faster," he promised.

Wait. Daughter?

Hiccup looked at Toothless in surprise, who simply gave him a "what did you think she was?" look and crooned with mild laughter. Cog turned and looked at the two of them.

"What is it?" he – no, _she_ – asked. Hiccup simply stared at her blankly.

"You're... a girl?" he asked uncertainly. Cog scowled and pulled aside the edges of her vest to reveal yes, she was a girl. Not an obvious one, mind you, but definitely a girl. What he had thought was a shirt and skirt set was, in fact, a brown dress.

"Sky gods, Hiccup, what did you think I was? And if you say boy, I swear I will do something that might get me banned from here," she hissed. Her little dragon popped up from his place on the back of her vest and squeaked angrily, as if he was prepared to do the same. Hiccup thought about it carefully. That explained the skirt, and the tights, and the voice, and how skinny she was, but Cog had still behaved like a guy.

"Okay, look. If you are a girl, why did you act like a boy?" he finally asked. The girl's scowl deepened and she sat down on a handy chair. One finger ran down Nuts' back while she spoke.

"What do you expect? I was raised by a guy, I grew up around guys, my only family and friends are guys, and the only girls I saw on a regular basis were the receptionist and the nurse at the Academy, and later the nurse was replaced by a guy! I had a few female classmates, but they wanted nothing to do with me. Really, it's a wonder I didn't decide I was a guy and started dressing like one," she said exasperatedly. Okay, that was understandable, but something still bugged him.

"What about your mother? Didn't she help? Mr. Barna's wife?"

Cog snorted derisively, but sobered up really quickly.

"Mr. Barna never married, and besides, he's not my real dad. I'm a foundling. He's the one who discovered me on the front step of the Academy when I was a year old, right before a blizzard struck in the middle of winter. That's why he called me Winterstorm, because all he knew was my first name and he thought I might be worthy of that family name. Mr. Barna always did think I could do amazing things if I tried," she replied mournfully. That was when there was a soft moan, and she hurried to the man's side, clutching his immobile hand fondly.

"I mean, you _do_ think I can do amazing things," she corrected quickly. Hiccup joined her and looked at him.

"Is he... Can he hear us?" he asked in awe. She nodded.

"The medicite just makes him sleep while it heals him. He's been like this since the accident thirteen years ago. I was really little, so I don't really remember it very well, but while he was patrolling the Academy, this guy called _Húsasmiður_ Lever lost control of a crane and some logs fell on Mr. Barna. If he hadn't been rescued and taken here..." Cog told him sadly, squeezing the hand of the man they were talking about. Hiccup didn't need her to finish that. He understood her meaning entirely. But there were some things he wanted to know more about.

"Cog, I'm sorry about Mr. Barna. Really. But why does everyone look at you weirdly? In that marketplace, as soon as they saw you, they all cleared the way, and I would have had to be blind to miss some of the looks they were giving you," he asked dryly. She sighed and stood up.

"'Cause I'm Markless. No one wants to get near a Markless person, unless they're like Brass. He can use Myst Magic, so everyone tolerates him."

'Myst Magic? What's that?' Hiccup thought curiously. Cog noticed the questioning look he was giving her and went over to Toothless before she spoke.

"You saw all that mist below us, right? When I showed you Faded Dreams? That stuff isn't natural. It's Myst, this stuff that everything alive has a little bit inside them, and Myst Magic is... well, it's powers that people can use because of it. Usually, when people have bonded, their Magic is related to the monster they bonded to, but if you're from a grounded village, you're much more likely to have other powers, even if you're Markless. That's what Brass is like. He can tell when the aero-aqua engines are functioning properly, so everyone likes him," she explained some more of this strange world to him. He nodded and looked at Toothless.

"Does that mean I have Magic, too, because I'm bonded to Toothless?" he asked. She shrugged.

"Dunno. Probably. What is Toothless?"

"A Night Fury."

"Then your Magic is probably related to nighttime or something like that. Me? All I can do is sense when someone is bonded, even without having to see the marks, and to what or who. It's pretty useless here," she admitted, scratching Toothless behind his ear flaps. Nuts chirped sadly.

"Not true, Cog. Doesn't it help whenever you find the bond animals of the kids of the city?" Strut objected, appearing partway in the doorway. He was leaning over Toothless, watching the five of them calmly, and he waved when they looked up to see him.

"I finished my business down at the docks, so I wanted to come check on you. Also, I figured Hiccup might want to go see _Sk_ _ó_ _lastj_ _ó_ _ri_ Kai and see if he can help with anything. Since you're not from around here, Hiccup, it might do to learn as much as you can about the customs. I doubt Cog told you everything you needed to know. Even she messes up sometimes," he told them, winking at the girl. She flushed and stuck her tongue out at him.

"Well, excuse me for not paying much attention in etiquette class. I was more preoccupied with getting a bond animal," she replied, folding her arms against her body. Strut laughed and beckoned for them to come.

"Let's go, then, shall we? The headmaster is a busy man, and he'll want to see these two as soon as possible."

Toothless backed out so they could leave, and Cog gave Verndari Barna one last solemn glance before following them out of the Hall of Healing and toward the Academy.

* * *

A man garbed in purest night ran into a shadowy room, panting heavily from his sudden trip. The door swung shut behind him, immersing him in total darkness, and he suppressed a fearful shriek. This was all part of the plan.

"Did anyone see you?" a woman asked, her tone low. He shook his head, then realized she couldn't see him.

"No, Ge-I mean, Miss White," he reported firmly. There was a pause, then light slowly filled the room as the woman moved her hand away from a glowing rock – a chunk of pure anolite – and smiled at him. Her head was wrapped in black cloth, but a few stray locks of snowy hair had escaped. Her dark green eyes watched him mournfully.

"Mr. Green," she greeted the man, dipping her head slightly. The guy had a similar wrap around his head, and with him, too, strands of white hair fluttered with his movements as he bowed low and rose, only to hurry to Miss White's side and clasp her black-gloved hand gently.

"My dear, why did we have to do it? Surely Forgotten Wishes was joking when they demanded our heads," he asked sadly, staring at her with soulful jade eyes. She sighed deeply, one of the saddest sounds that existed, and cast her own eyes down.

"Because I do not want the children to face our fate. The Winterstorms must continue. Speaking of the Winterstorms, could you have been more obvious with the children? Leaving Cog in the midst of a blizzard is not the right way to treat the last hope of our family, and what you did with Bolt is unspeakable. Never do it again," White said sternly, looking him in the eye for that last sentence. He nodded gravely.

"I hope never to need to do it again. Twice was enough," he replied resolutely, resting his cheek on the woman's hand. They both sat there, silently absorbing the comfort of each others' presence, until a bell began ringing. This was no household instrument to summon servants, but the mighty tool of the city guards to warn the citizens of an attack. The war with Forgotten Wishes was soon to be over, ending with Green and White's destruction. They were the last of the Winterstorms now, the heirs to that lofty name lost to time and fate. But a glimmer of hope still remained. The Gate was not broken yet. If they had the chance, both would use it to escape their destiny and live out their lives in peace.

But they knew that would never happen. Their deaths would mean peace for those sent through to be saved, and the children left behind in the future of their world would eventually understand why.

Some parts of history were never meant to be altered.

* * *

 **Author's Notes: For those of you wondering, Barna is bonded to a Gargoyle named George, and Strut is bonded to a Mimic named Stefan. Barna's Myst Magic is that he's actually quite tough, which is why he wasn't killed outright by the logs falling on him, and Strut's is that he can tell whether treasure and stuff like that is real or fake (because Mimics are fake treasures that attack you, as seen in various games), which is useful for his line of work.**

 **I admit, I'm kinda using a few ideas from Final Fantasy, like the Myst, some monsters, and the concept of the special rocks, but not enough to make this a crossover. This is still just HTTYD. With a whole lotta changes.**

 **I'd love to hear from more of you guys! Character donations and ideas are welcome, because I'm gonna need a whole bunch for later episodes. Just come up with a character, give some basic info (hair, eyes, age, gender, personality, human or humanoid species, etc.), and tell me if they're Markless or have a bond animal. If they do, make sure it isn't too OP, describe it (use character criteria), and name it. It doesn't have to be able to fly. I have a few like that planned.**

 **Go ahead and review, even if you think this story is rubbish. The Story Of Your Life disagrees with your opinion, though :D**

 **Okay, now that that's out of the way...**

 **Wild Cat 214, out!**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5: Flightless**_

 **Author's Notes: In this chapter, we learn a bit more about Cog's life before the beginning of Strays. There will be jealousy, though not from Hiccup. Right now, they're just friends. But that will change eventually.**

 **Like in episode 6 :P**

 **A heads-up. This chapter is a bit longer than the previous ones, but important things happen in it. You can do it! You can read this chapter! I believe in you! And dragons!**

 **Okay, the possibility of dragons, but you get the point.**

 **Review:**

 **The Story Of Your Life (Mar. 7, Chapter 4) – Don't worry, you're definitely not alone in that regard. I've heard of Princess Mononoke and Naussica, and I want to see them, but I haven't heard of Ghost Adventures. Is it good?**

 **By the by, the people mentioned in the last part will become important in chapter 7 and episode 2. Let's just say, there's a lot more to Cog than meets the eye ;)**

 **Disclaimer: All I own are my variations, but you know that. If you've gotten this far, you know I don't own HTTYD and associated trademarked, copyrighted works.**

 **Key:**

 **0*0*0 – scene change**

 **Horizontal line – perspective change**

* * *

Once we reached the Academy gates, a couple of guards approached us and held their spears across the entrance.

"Hold. What is your purpose?" one asked, a young woman wearing leather armor. Probably a Skrill rider, going by her partner's metal suit. They were more common here than in other regions, probably because the Land of the Faded had stormier weather, especially in the summer and winter, so I was familiar with those who rode the species – and their clothes. Strut showed them his hands and bowed like that.

"I am _Kaupma_ _ð_ _ur_ Strut. This is Cog Winterstorm and her foreign guests Hiccup and Toothless. We seek audience with _Sk_ _ó_ _lastj_ _ó_ _ri_ Kai," he replied calmly. The two conversed quietly before standing aside.

"Welcome, _Kaupma_ _ð_ _ur_. Welcome, _Húsfreyja_ Winterstorm. Welcome, foreign guests. We hope you enjoy your stay in Faded Dreams," the man with the Skrill rider finally said, inclining his head as he opened the gates. I bowed slightly as we walked through, and motioned for Hiccup to do the same. He did, and we passed without incident, though I could feel the eyes of the guards on my back. No matter. They wouldn't get to see the evidence of my failings, not if I had anything to say about it.

Strut walked purposefully down the stone halls of the Academy while I looked about and remembered my life here, before I had graduated and moved out. Paintings of former headmasters were divided by curtained archways – the classrooms – and sconces supporting anolite crystals. Anolite, if placed near certain metals like moonsilver or electrum, actually floats an inch or two above the metal. I've met geologists who believe this is because the two materials differ so much. They're natural enemies. Well, anolite and aberite are also like that, but anolite doesn't hover above aberite like it does with the metals.

We stopped outside a large ironwood door, and I couldn't help holding my breath as Strut rapped his knuckles against the wood. This was the headmaster's office. I had been here a few times (okay, more than a few times, but some of those weren't my fault), so I was understandably nervous. It had been two years since the last time I was here. What if Kai didn't think I should be here? What if he never wanted to see me again?

"Come in."

I let out the breath and glanced at Hiccup. He was watching me curiously, and I smiled weakly.

"It's been a few years since I was here. I'm nervous," I whispered to him. He nodded in understanding and put a hand on Toothless, who warbled warily as Strut pulled the doors open.

* * *

Hiccup was surprised to see how big the room was, but it was easy to understand why, once he saw the big feathered snake lounging on a branch behind the handsome man seated at a large desk. It was bright yellow and blue, with a pair of huge bird wings and two orange eyes that watched them with mild interest. He glanced at the others to see their reactions and how he should act, and was met with Cog wearing a dreamy grin on her face. Hiccup followed her gaze to the guy, then back to her. Did she like this guy?

"Ah, if it isn't Strut and Ms. Winterstorm. What trouble has she gotten up to now?" the man said warmly. Nuts squeaked in outrage as he appeared from inside Cog's vest.

"And Nuts, of course." The dragon sank back into the clothing with a satisfied chirp. The girl he was on flushed and looked to Hiccup.

"Cog here has taken in guests from far away. Hiccup and Toothless, this is _Sk_ _ó_ _lastj_ _ó_ _ri_ Kai Bloodstone, headmaster of the Academy. Hiccup wishes to learn more about how to act in Faded Dreams," Strut replied for her, walking over and putting a hand on the boy's shoulder. Toothless stepped around the desk to growl in greeting at the snake, and it lowered its head to hiss welcomely, if that was even possible. Kai stood and bowed, then straightened to look at him curiously.

"Welcome to Faded Dreams, Hiccup, Toothless. I trust Cog has given you the best hospitality she can," he said, glancing at the girl. She turned an even brighter shade of pink than before and nodded wordlessly.

"Oh, yes. Cog has been very helpful. She's teaching us some of the proper etiquette for this city," Hiccup replied, grinning impishly. She shot a glare at him when Kai was looking the other way, at Toothless and the winged snake.

"Remarkable. I've never seen a monster like this. I see he's met Cumulus," he said, kneeling and looking Toothless in the eye. The black dragon growled in protest and looked at the three humans he had come with. His rider understood.

"Uh, where I'm from, we don't call them monsters. Usually we just call them dragons," he informed the man. 'Devils, sometimes, and spawn of Hel, but usually not monsters,' he added in his head.

Kai nodded and put a hand to Cumulus' head, which made the snake growl happily.

"I understand. I often think that we should not call them monsters unless they deserve the title, but sadly, many in the city do not share my view," he said quietly. Hiccup smiled at him. This Kai guy seemed okay.

"His name is Toothless, and he's a Night Fury. Toothless, be nice," he said playfully. The dragon had been about to sniff the man he was standing near, and with those words he stepped back a bit and gave Hiccup an innocent face. They all laughed for a few moments, then Kai sat down again and folded his hands together.

"I see. Tell me, what made you decide to come here, Hiccup? If you are unfamiliar with the customs of Faded Dreams, then you must be from very, very far away. Perhaps past the Fractured Lands?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow to enforce his point. Hiccup rubbed his arm nervously and glanced at Toothless' tail.

"We were just passing through when we ran into Cog. Toothless has a damaged tail, and the replacement I made for his fin got damaged when we crashed, because of a storm," he explained vaguely. The girl nodded in agreement and put her hands in the pockets of her apron.

"It's true. I found them crashed into my house shortly after a storm, and Hiccup said they were traveling," she supported his claim. Kai nodded silently and looked to Strut.

"And you? What were you doing?" he asked politely. The older man shrugged.

"I came because Nuts wouldn't stop pestering me. Once I saw them, I figured they needed more food and decided to take them along when I brought Cog here. Gave him a change of clothes so people wouldn't stare as much. His homeland is pretty cold, so they frequently cover their backs to help with that," he said casually. Both Hiccup and Cog furrowed their brows, but said nothing. Why was Strut telling him that? That would only raise more questions.

"Well, if his fin is damaged, then please, stay here until it is fixed. Of course, I must inform the _Jarl_ about our new guests, but I'm sure he'll be thrilled. He often is when people from other lands arrive," Kai offered. Cog positively lit up when he said that, so Hiccup decided to agree. He wanted to know a few more things, and if he could use the forge here while he did so, that was fine with him.

"I think we'll take you up on that offer," he replied. Toothless gave them a gummy smile and looked back up at Cumulus, who flicked his tongue out in reply.

Kai nodded, then reached over and flipped a lid off some sort of cone attached to a pipe.

" _Kennari_ Dial, will you please come here and take two guests to some housing. We will need to bring them some food, as well. Hiccup, what does Toothless eat?" the man asked, turning away briefly from the thing. He snapped out of his focus on the curious contraption and blinked, then answered, "Uh, fish. He only eats fish. No eels." Kai nodded and turned back to the cone.

"Bring them plenty of fish later. One of the guests has quite a large dragon. And no eels, please," he finished. When a woman replied with a simple "Yes, sir," the man closed the lid and smiled at his guests.

"Miss Dial will be here soon, so do not worry. I assume you will be staying on the _Cloud Jumper_ , Captain Strut?" The other man nodded and gave the two kids a wide, cheery grin.

"You're in good hands now, Hiccup. If you need anything, just give me a holler. I'll be there as quick as I can," he told them before bowing and leaving the room.

0*0*0

Miss Dial came soon after Strut left, and she led them down the halls of the school to the dormitories. A few students watched them go and muttered to themselves. A lot stared at Cog, but just as many were looking at Hiccup and Toothless curiously. When Nuts appeared from the back of her vest, they all shrieked quietly in surprise, but soon went back to gossiping about who they were. Finally, the small party arrived at two empty rooms, and Dial dipped her head before leaving. Cog watched her go with a bit of resentment, but when she saw Hiccup watching her, she stopped and looked the other way.

"So... what's up with you and Kai?" he asked casually. The girl blushed a furious red and walked into her room, and he followed her. It was simple, just a cot with a grayish blanket, a chair and desk, a silvery rod with a glowing faceted crystal like many of the others floating above it, and a window overlooking the forest below. Dense fog rose up from it, Myst made visible, and he wondered if he could use it like the other people here.

"What?" she said grumpily. Hiccup simply sat on the chair and looked at her. When he didn't say anything, the girl finally let out a frustrated sigh and flopped onto the cot.

"There's nothing going on between us. Nothing. He and Miss Dial, well... they're engaged," Cog told him bitterly. Now Hiccup remembered seeing matching bands of woven silver and gold on the right hands of the two adults, and he realized that was how people in Faded Dreams showed they were going to get married. On Berk, two people sometimes didn't know they were going to get married until the day of the occasion, but here they must have a bit more ceremony.

"You mean those rings, right?" She nodded and turned onto her side, face to the wall.

"Yup. Here, the two people wear matching rings on their right hands until the wedding. Then they move the rings to their left hand. Kai was the one who proposed six months ago," the girl said sadly. Hiccup nodded again.

"And you like him."

The statement hung in the air for a few moments before Cog nodded silently.

"How long?"

"Four years. Two years before I graduated, and the two years after that," she replied wistfully. And during all that time, she must have never told Kai about her feelings. Hiccup could tell by the sorrow in her eyes – what he could see of them – and the tone of her voice. It was full of regret that she hadn't spoken up sooner.

"When did you graduate?"

"When I was fifteen."

"You mean you're seventeen?" he asked, surprised. She didn't look much older than him, though it was probably because she didn't seem to eat much.

"Yeah. How old are you?"

"Fifteen."

"Well, at least I can claim seniority over you. You've got the bond animal, though, so I guess it evens out," she joked halfheartedly. Hiccup smiled weakly in reply before answering, "I guess so."

It was an awkward, jerking conversation, with Cog never moving from her position and Hiccup never shifting in his seat, but it revealed something about her that he didn't know. The relationship between Cog and Kai was a lot like his and Astrid's relationship. Cog pined after Kai, and he treated her like a friend or a sister. Hiccup wanted to look good in front of Astrid, and until recently she barely noticed him. Then she had started glaring at him after he succeeded in dragon training, and Hiccup had despaired of ever getting her to like him.

'I think I liked it better when Astrid ignored me,' he thought glumly.

"Well, I understand what it's like to have the person you like barely even realize your existence. The same thing happened to me on Berk." At this, Cog sat up and looked at him.

"Really?" she said skeptically. He smiled in embarrassment.

"Yeah. How old is Kai, anyways?" Cog thought about it a bit before answering.

"He'll be thirty in the fall. I'll be eighteen in the winter," she replied steadily. Hiccup gaped at her. A twelve year age difference? Even his father and mother didn't have that big a gap between them when they married.

"I know it's hopeless. Kai only has eyes for Miss Dial, and he acts like I'm a younger sister, but ever since he helped me out when some kids were bullying me..." she trailed off, letting him fill in the blanks. He understood what she was saying, and he sympathized.

"I get it. The only times Astrid ever looked at me was when I screwed up or when I did something too well," he replied sheepishly. She raised an eyebrow and grinned devilishly.

"So Astrid's her name? What's she like?" the girl snatched onto this chance to shift the focus onto him. Hiccup sighed and leaned back to look at the ceiling.

"What does it matter? I'm probably never gonna see her again. Not unless you know a way I can get back to Berk?" he replied hopefully. Cog shook her head.

"Not really. But hey, let's at least get Toothless' fin fixed. I'll help you pick out some leather for it," she offered. He smiled in thanks and stood, then helped her up. Nuts chirped happily, and Toothless came in with a curious growl. Hiccup patted the head of his dragon.

"Hey, bud. We're gonna go get your tail fixed, all right?"

The Night Fury growled happily and led the way out, but soon Cog took the lead. They all followed her to a place filled with dyed leathers of nearly every color imaginable, and many that were more than one color.

* * *

I looked Toothless over, checked his tail fin (and for a tangled mess of wires and metal, it was pretty nifty), and started picking out a few colors.

"This is the leather storeroom, where we keep all the finished leather for people to use for saddles, armor, and clothing," I explained, selecting a few that would go nicely with Toothless and his saddle. Hiccup joined me, and when I showed him a nice piece of black and green leather, he shrugged. The corner of my mouth twisted wryly as I put it down and showed him another piece, this one black with white dots painted on. The boy shook his head, and I groaned in exasperation.

"What do you want? You've got all these colors! I'm just trying to show you ones that would look good with Toothless," I grumbled. He sighed and looked over the options, then finally decided on a striped red and black piece I was holding. I sighed and smiled in relief.

"Thank the sky gods. I was beginning to think you'd choose something terrible that wouldn't go well with your outfit, and then I'd have to force you to pick something else, and it would just be a mess," I told him bluntly. He furrowed his brow and started taking out a few lengths of the leather while he spoke.

"Wow. You... really care about how colors look, don't you?" Hiccup asked. I shrugged and started choosing a few other colors. I wanted to make myself a set of armor for when I went down to the forest for materials, and now that I could basically use this leather for free, I might as well take advantage of that. Besides, I was going to make this armor both useful and beautiful.

"I've always had an eye for colors, and it's useful for when I'm making more of a certain color of dye. If people want a specific color, I have to make sure the new batch matches the old, and that it looks the way they want it to," I replied, finally deciding on some black, some gray, some deep red, and some emerald leathers. He nodded, then let his armful of leather fall to his side.

"So, uh, why did you decide to be a dyer? Doesn't seem like what most people would choose to be," he asked casually. I sighed, pushed some leather off a chair, and sat in it, first looking at Hiccup, then, when his serious gaze unnerved me, I stared out the window. A few people were riding their bond animals, blissfully unaware of my envious gaze, and there were a few airships beyond them.

"Because that was the only thing they would let me be. I wanted to be a pilot, at first, then a seamstress or a painter. I couldn't do the first because I had no bond animal to help me if I fell during training, and the others I couldn't do because no one wants to get close to a Markless person, and I didn't have the support of any human family, being a foundling. I can't smell, though, so making dye isn't as bad as it could be, and since I can tell apart colors really well, my life wasn't as bad as it could be. Of course, times get a little hard, especially when none of the dyes are selling or I can't get to Dreams, but I managed," I told him resignedly. Nuts poked his head out of my vest, where he frequently liked to hide when we went into the city, and nuzzled my cheek.

"Besides, I have Nuts, and he can help me get food. Claptraps are a lot stronger than they look and can carry nearly three times their own weight, so he usually does business for me." Hiccup chuckled at that, and my dragon chirped in protest.

"Sorry. It's just that it's very hard to picture Nuts carrying something three times as heavy as he is," he explained, even as the little dragon flew up and squeaked in his face, then clapped his wings together. We both winced at the loud noise, but when the little guy settled down in my lap and let me pet him, I relaxed.

"Yeah, well, sometimes he screws up and gets a lower price than what we agreed upon for the stuff I give him, but we live," I said pleasantly. Nuts chirped again, and I smiled before picking him up, setting him on my shoulder, and grabbing the leather before standing up.

"Now then. Let's go to the smithy and fix that fin. I'll show you where it is." We left the leather storeroom and walked down the halls, making lighthearted jokes about Nuts and Toothless and everything else. It seemed like my life might actually be turning around.

Maybe Hiccup could help me get a flying animal, even if he claimed the sky gods had nothing to do with him. Clearly he had been chosen by them for some purpose. And if he did help me, if he _could_ help me, I would be able to fly with everyone else. I would finally be accepted in Dreams, just like I always wanted to be.

I wouldn't have to be alone anymore.

* * *

Two men were in a marvelous throne room of green marble and wood polished to a rich, golden sheen. Towering windows of stained glass, depicting scenes from the history of Faded Dreams such as the initial settling of the floating islands, the war against Forgotten Wishes, and a few glorifying the royal family, were set into the high walls, and behind a throne made of the same golden wood as the room, only set with emeralds and malachite, was a gleaming tapestry depicting a rampant gold Seraph in front of two crossed spears with gold ribbons, all on a field of grassy green. One was the headmaster of the Academy, Kai Bloodstone. The other was Xavier Darksoul, ruler of the Land of the Faded. No bond animals were allowed inside the throne room without express permission of the guards, and so Cumulus had to wait outside for his partner.

One was Kai Bloodstone, an attractive man with chocolaty brown hair and glass-green eyes. The other was a much older man with black, slightly graying hair and dark purple eyes, with a very cool air about him that was not diminished by the warm glow of the gold and emerald circlet on his head. He was the ruler of Faded Dreams, and no one in his presence forgot it.

 _Sk_ _ó_ _lastj_ _ó_ _ri_ Kai bowed low in front of the man seated on the throne before speaking.

" _Jarl_ Darksoul, it seems Miss Winterstorm has welcomed two new guests to Faded Dreams," he informed his liege. The man on the seat of power nodded.

"Thank you for notifying me, _Sk_ _ó_ _lastj_ _ó_ _ri_ Kai. Tell me, where are they from?" he asked calmly. The other man, the younger of the two, shrugged.

"While they did not give a specific name, they did say they were from a land that was very cold. Judging by the style of the saddle on the boy's bond animal, it is certainly not one anywhere in the Fractured Lands," he replied calmly. Kai was always calm before authority. He knew that they held power over him, and so he knew better than to get riled up or upset in front of someone like the _Jarl_.

Darksoul, as it turned out, was more interested than he let on. Kai wasn't the only one hiding his feelings.

"A boy, you say? And his bond animal? What did the monster look like?" he asked with as much disinterest as he could muster. If this monster looked like what that batty old woman had described…

"Yes, a boy. He called his dragon class monster a Night Fury, and by the sky gods, I can understand the first part. Black as aberite, easily three times my height in length, with a busted fin. Hiccup, the boy, wouldn't explain why, but I'm letting him fix it while they stay at the Academy," the headmaster replied with certainty. Darksoul relaxed inwardly. These two were nothing to worry about, then. Just a boy from sky gods knew where and his damaged dragon, not the two he was worried about. Cog, on the other hand, was a problem.

"Is Miss Winterstorm staying as well?" he asked nonchalantly. Kai nodded.

"Yes. I believe Miss Dial gave her the room next to Hiccup, but I can move her, if you need me to." _Jarl_ Darksoul shook his head.

"Leave her. She will not cause trouble at the Academy. Certainly not while you're around. Now go. I must see to something," he answered. The headmaster bowed low before backing out of the room. You never showed your back to the _Jarl_ of the Land of the Faded, not if you wanted to stay out of the dungeons. The man was swift to supply retribution when slighted.

Said ruler stood up as soon as the heavy doors swung shut with a resounding _boom!_ that shook the windows and swiftly walked from the throne room. If he had been seen by anyone, they would have described him as nearly running, but no one was about. This part of the palace was not frequented by servants very often, luckily for him, or else they would have seen him slip a hand behind the pedestal holding some guy's bust up, press a button hidden there, and wait as metallic creaking and groaning sounded behind the tapestry before him.

The work of woven art depicted a ferocious battle against a two-headed dragon, one with smooth white scales and plates of red, blue, and purple armor running down its back, from its two noses to the tip of its tail. One head had a red eye on the right and a blue eye on the left, the one with the red plates, and the other had the colors reversed and the blue plates. Black spots decorated the wrist of its wings just below the thumb claw, the tips of its long, rabbit-like ear flaps, and the similar scales sticking out of the back of its legs and the tip of its tail. The purple plates of armor started where the two necks joined together and continued down to the tip of the tail. Below it, men and women in armor, riding all sorts of monsters, big and small, were wielding weapons in terror as it rained fire and ice down upon them.

He brushed aside the relatively new addition to the palace décor and walked down clammy stone steps, every five illuminated with an anolite stand. When he reached the bottom, a large room with something big in the middle greeted him. Whatever that thing was, it was alive and moving, barely. Ropes secured the tarp that covered it, fixed to four pillars set in a square about the thing, and if he looked closely, he could see the fine – but incredibly strong – chains that bound whatever lay hidden.

As soon as Darksoul entered the room, the thing began to growl threateningly, and he could see steam rise up from under the edges of the tarp. That _thing_ trying to escape, he reckoned. It did not matter. Those chains were forged in the underground halls of the dweorgir, a race known for its love of treasure and skill in mining and smithing. Few ever came to the floating islands, mostly because they disliked the open sky and the height, but also because of their fear of the earth gods' punishment. Neither sky nor earth deities got along very well, especially when it came to their followers, and for now, that was good. Creatures of the sky were especially weak against creations of the earth, and the monster under that thick cloth was definitely a child of the sky gods.

Now all he had to do was keep it away from Cog and her new friends, and he would never have to worry about a thing.

* * *

 **Author's Notes: We're only halfway done, and already something ominous has happened. The dragon described in the tapestry is, in fact, the dragon I drew. One day, I will scan it and post it somewhere for all to see, and I will tell you when that happens. But I don't know when that will be :(**

 **For those of you wondering...**

 **Coatl – a feathered snake with bird wings, created from Central and South American mythology (think Quetzalcoatl); Cumulus is one such specimen**

 **Seraph – a species I made up; they look like wolves, but they have two long horns coming out of their head at the top of their skull, and the horns arc back over their head and neck; they have bird wings in place of their ears, smaller wings at their ankles on each leg, and a tail that gets plumy near the tip; a Seraph will appear near the end of this episode**

 **Xavier Darksoul is bonded to something special that you will see. If I told you what it was, it would be spoiling the big reveal later. And his Myst Magic? He has a special power related to that monster, but I won't tell you right now. You'll find out soon.**

 **Kai's Magic is that he can't be poisoned. See, there are active and passive Magics. Some people, like Cog, Kai, and Barna, have passive ones: their Magics are always active, so they don't need to do anything to make it happen. Others, like Strut, Hiccup, and Darksoul, have active powers: they need to focus and actually try to use their Magic before it can work. Think of it as the active and passive abilities of some RPG's. The actives are the ones you select in the menu, and the passives are the ones you equip, learn, or both. I admit it, I am a gamer gal. Deal with it.**

 **As always, I hope for reviews! Even just a letter is fine! You can just press something on your computer or phone and then click that button down there, and I will be happy. Confused, but happy.**

 **Wild Cat 214, out!**


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter 6: By My Side**_

 **Author's Notes: Okay, you guys are probably a tiny bit curious about why I have a Skrill rider in this fic. Easy. Almost all of the dragons from the cinematic version of HTTYD are in this world, for a special reason you won't find out until episode 3. But it will rock your world, and Hiccup's, and basically everyone in the Fractured Lands.**

 **Poetry is hard, as was writing one of the scenes in this chapter, but I finally figured out how to do it. I just needed to show it from Hiccup's point of view! Yeah!**

 **Review:**

 **The Story Of Your Life (Mar. 11, Chapter 5) – Oh, so close! You're right about one thing, though. Cog and that monster are connected. But there's a slight complication that you'll read about in episode 2.**

 **Disclaimer: You know the truth. Need I state it here? Okay, fine. You win, copyright laws! HTTYD is not mine, blah blah blah, just the original content.**

 **Key:**

 **0*0*0 – scene change**

 **Horizontal line – perspective change**

* * *

I showed Hiccup the forge, a huge, raucous place filled with furnaces, anvils, and people wearing leather aprons and gloves. Even a few feet from the entrance, I could feel the heat of the azocite-powered fires contained within. The boiling-hot room had sparks flying everywhere, but the smiths ignored the fiery shards that struck them and continued with their work, a sword here, a pot there, a helmet on the side, a plate after that. A few monsters were also inside: the six-legged Salamanders in the furnaces, a few different species of dragons at the anvils and work benches – Gronckles and Hotburples, mostly, but a few Magmadons were there as well – and a Furnix, too. Hiccup's eyes roved across this scene from a dweorg's dreams, recognizing some species and noticing others with interest, and finally he looked at me.

"Well, this is definitely not what I pictured when I heard you say 'forge,'" he said sardonically. I grinned and waved at one guy, a short man with sweat-soaked red hair and merry turquoise eyes. That was Brenndur Klaki, an old drinking pal of Mr. Barna, and he taught people how to make things in the forge here at the Academy.

"Bless my gizzard, if it isn't little Cog! Who's yer friend?" he boomed cheerfully. Klaki was half dweorg on his mother's side, and he had gotten his build and hair – and alcohol tolerance – from his mom, while he got his good nature and eyes from his dad. Sadly, just after he graduated from the Academy, his parents had been killed by wild monsters on a visit to the hall of his mom's family, and so Mr. Barna had helped him until he had a job of his own. That's how I got to know him, especially after the accident. Klaki had taken over for his friend and supported me through my time at the Academy. I hadn't seen him very often for the past two years, though, so I was glad he hadn't forgotten me.

"This is Hiccup. He wants to work in the forge on a tail fin for his dragon, Toothless," I shouted back. Sky gods, but the smithy was LOUD. I could barely hear myself think!

The jovial man grinned, showing big, pearly teeth off, and looked back at his fellow smiths, students and graduates alike.

"Oi, ev'ryone! This here is Hiccup! He's gonna be workin' on sumthin', so treat him nicely, ye hear?" he roared happily. They all smiled, waved hello briefly or shouted their greeting, and even the monsters said hi before they all went back to work. Once they had acknowledged Hiccup as one of their own, Klaki turned back to us and waved Hiccup inside.

"Come, m'boy. Show me exactly what you need, and I'll help you out with it," he said, wrapping an arm holding a heavy hammer around the boy's shoulder. I watched them go, Toothless following cautiously, and decided to walk to the supply room while he worked. I had the leather in a bag under my arm (I borrowed it from the leather storeroom to carry it around), and I wanted to get a few studs or strips of metal I could attach to make the armor slightly better. I was about halfway there when those two appeared. Grimmur and Óvæginn Darksoul, the sons of _Jarl_ Xavier Darksoul himself.

Also, my arch-nemeses (or at least, that's what I considered them).

During our years at the Academy together, the two boys had decided to make my life a living hell straight out of the legends of what awaited those who angered the gods of sky, earth, water, and fire. Himinn was above, the domain of the sky _Guði_. Jörðin and Vatn were in the middle, domain of the earth and water _Guði_ , though the earth had greater power than the water. Below them was Eldur, a place of punishment ruled by the fire _Guði_. Demon class monsters lived there, and lots of Salamanders and other fire types liked to play in the lava fields. It was not a fun place for most people.

The Darksoul boys would have fit right in there.

"Well, look who it is, Óvæginn. Cog Winterstorm, the Markless failure of Faded Dreams. The mistake of the Academy. Why they even let her stay here, when she couldn't even find her bond animal, I don't know. What do you think, brother?" Grimmur sneered, elbowing his younger brother lightly. Óvæginn shrugged, then shot a venomous glare at me.

"I don't know, brother. Maybe they thought it would be amusing to see her fall off the islands," he replied coldly. I flinched as they came nearer, and the both of them snickered harshly.

"Where's your bond animal, foundling? Did you lose it?" the elder taunted. I shook my head and backed up a bit. Normally, I liked being near people, but these guys scared me. They kept opening up old wounds I had left alone for the last two years, reminding me of why I was an outcast among my people and why I lived on the edge of town. And there was something... weird... about the way they spoke that bothered me. It wasn't a dialect, or the words they chose, just something in their voice that made me feel like there was something slimy sliding down my back.

"No, I just haven't found it yet," I replied, my voice shaking. They laughed again and took a few steps closer. Their shadows were covering my face when I heard something welcome.

* * *

Hiccup had finished the tail fin for Toothless quickly, thanks to the help of all the blacksmiths in the forge. Seeing Gronckles had surprised him a bit, but they were quite friendly and had shown him that yes, dragons were kind, wonderful creatures, not the terrible beasts his village thought they were. His village...

'I wonder if anyone misses me," he thought glumly. It felt like it had been days since he saw his village, but it had only been half a day, and the setting sun reminded him that he hadn't been in this strange world for very long. Some parts of it seemed familiar, like the prosthetic limbs on some people in the forge (the man, who had introduced himself as Klaki, told him that they had lost them in a brief skirmish with wild monsters in the mines nearby) and the dragon species. Seeing the six-legged lizards and that fiery bird, though, had shocked him, especially when he learned that dragons were only a small portion of all the species of monsters in the world. Back on Berk, they had been the only other intelligent species in the Archipelago, next to humans. To think that other animals might be like them was fascinating.

A noise distracted Hiccup from his thoughts, and he looked up to see Cog backed against a wall by two boys. The nervous look on her face was all too familiar to him, especially when he saw the cruel smiles on the faces of the boys.

A part of him protested against this. There was no way he would let his only friend in this place be bullied like he had been on Berk.

"Hey, leave her alone!" Hiccup shouted. All three of their heads turned to see him and Toothless a few yards down the hall and closing the distance fast. The boys shared a look and backed away, glaring at the newcomers and Cog. She stumbled toward them and looked back at them, to see they were watching them all warily.

"Hi, Hiccup. You sure finished fast," she said, half in relief and half in joy. That was the first time anyone had ever truly been happy to see him, and not because he was tricking them in the arena.

"Yeah, well, those guys in the forge were really helpful. That one man, the short one with the red hair, he was probably the nicest guy there," he replied casually. She grinned and ignored the stunned and suspicious glares from the boys, probably brothers by the looks of them.

"That's _J_ _árnsmiður_ Brenndur Klaki. He helped Mr. Barna take care of me while I was a student here," Cog explained. Hiccup nodded, then glanced at the two boys watching their little conversation.

"I know. He told me his name while we worked. So who're they?" he asked coldly. Her smile faltered as she replied quietly, "Grimmur and Óvæginn Darksoul," pointing out each one as she named them.

Hiccup gave her a confused look – mostly because she didn't sound like her usual bright self – but recovered from the strangeness of it all and shot them a glare.

"Well, they messed with the wrong person, right, Toothless?" The Night Fury growled in agreement, and finally Grimmur regained his tongue.

"W-who are you people? What are you doing with a Markless girl like her?" he sputtered in shock. Hiccup scowled at them and handed Cog the fin in his arms.

"We're her friends. I doubt the same could be said of you," he replied dryly. Their lips became thin lines as they frowned back at them.

"Who would want to be friends with a Markless girl like her? She doesn't even have a true Sigil like the rest of us!" Óvæginn retorted, sneering at the mention of a Sigil. Hiccup rolled his eyes and gave her a questioning look.

"What's a Sigil?" he muttered to the girl. She whispered in his ear, "It's another name for the major bond mark that appears on a human's back when they find their major bond animal. All Sigils are bond marks, but not all bond marks are Sigils. Other races have them, but in different places." He grunted in appreciation and faced the boys again. They were still shooting daggers at them, their violet eyes flashing with annoyance and uncertainty. Whoever these Darksoul boys were, they were really getting on his nerves. Not only that, they reminded him of Snotlout and his bullying, back when they were kids and Hiccup wasn't the popular boy on Berk.

"Maybe I'm going to help her get a Sigil. It shouldn't be too hard," he replied heatedly. Cog, Grimmur, and Óvæginn all gasped, Cog with delight, and the boys with shock. Even Nuts, who must have been hiding in her vest all this time, let out a little squeak of surprise.

There was a moment of complete silence where the world seemed to stop moving, the city waited for something to happen, and Hiccup wondered if he had said something wrong. Without another word, the boys turned and ran off, not even glancing back to see what Hiccup and Cog were doing. The younger of the two humans left behind glanced at the older girl, who was giving him a wide-eyed look of joy.

"Are you really going to help me get a Sigil?" she asked hopefully. Hiccup rubbed the back of his head resignedly. The teenager continued watching him, and Nuts even joined in with pleading little eyes. There was no way to escape this. Cog was his only friend here, and if he alienated her, there was probably no way of finding a way back. He hated to admit it, but he missed Berk a little. It was home, even if it hadn't felt like it for his entire life. Now, though, he had a real friend, one who liked him and his dragon, and he couldn't lose that because he spoke without thinking. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III was many things, but he was a man of his word.

"Of course I am," he decided, "We're friends, and that's what friends do."

Her face lit up with the happiest smile he had ever seen, and she hugged him tightly, dropping the things in her arms.

"Thanks, Hiccup! You're the best friend a person could have!" she said brightly. When she let go, Cog looked around in a brief moment of panic before noticing the fin and the bag of leather on the ground and picking them back up.

"Whoops! Sorry about that. I hope nothing's broken," she apologized, giving him back the fin. Hiccup shook his head kindly. The fin would be fine. A floor wouldn't break it that easily; the other blacksmiths had made sure of that. He didn't know what that incredibly light metal was, but it was sure to help with Toothless' flying, and it was strong, to boot.

"It's fine. Anyways, what's their problem?" he asked, sending a dark look toward them. Cog shrugged.

"Oh, just the usual. They think they're better than everyone else, especially me, and because I don't fight back, they like bullying me," she said lightly. "But I'm fine. I bounce back quickly. Now come on. I need to get a few things before dinnertime." With that cheerful remark, she started walking down the hallway toward some unknown destination, whistling aimlessly as she went. Hiccup and Toothless shared a look.

"Yeah, she's weird. But she's our friend, right, bud?" the human of the two said to the dragon next to him. Toothless warbled in agreement, and they hurried to catch up to Cog before she lost them.

* * *

Grimmur and Óvæginn Darksoul were very, very upset as they went through the Academy gates and up to the palace, where their father lived and ruled over the Land of the Faded. They burst into the throne room, ignoring the protests of the guards outside, and stormed up to their father, who was busy thinking about how to deal with his latest problem.

"Father! We have something terrible to tell you!" Grimmur complained. _Jarl_ Xavier Darksoul looked up at their approach wearily.

"What is it? If it's about the stables at the Academy, I've already told you, you're not allowed to take all the food for your own monsters. We need to set an example for the city, not make them want a new ruler," he grumbled tiredly. They shook their heads in unison.

"That Markless girl's friend says he's going to help her get a Sigil! It's not fair! Everyone knows she shouldn't get one!" Óvæginn wailed bitterly. Now they had his attention. Their father had always been touchy when it came to the Winterstorm girl, and both of them knew it. But this time, he was more than touchy. He was completely irate.

"WHAT?! She can't be allowed to find her bond animal! She can't be!" he screeched, and for a moment, it seemed something else was screeching with him. Something far more powerful and ancient than anything else in the city...

The boys trembled before their father's wrath and said nothing. Being the heirs to the throne didn't make them irreplaceable. There were plenty of women who would have loved to be his wife and give birth to more heirs.

" _R_ _áðsmaður_ Washer! Get in here at once!" he shouted, this time looking at a small door, blocked from the view of all but the king by a folding screen depicting the foggy scenery of the Fractured Lands, the plateaus, forests, and rivers woven into the fabric itself with some Myst to make it seem more realistic. Myst weavers were rare, enough so that only the rich and powerful could afford their work. Darksoul was both.

A plump man wearing the green and gold heraldic colors of the Land of the Faded scurried in, bowed deeply, and rose again, avoiding eye contact with his master.

"You called, my lord?" he asked politely. Darksoul scowled.

"Send a message to _Sk_ _ó_ _lastj_ _ó_ _ri_ Kai. I want the two newest guests at the Academy to stay here," he snarled. Grimmur and Óvæginn shared a confused look as the steward of the palace hurried away to do his master's bidding.

"Father, why are you bringing them here? They do not deserve to stay at the palace," the younger one asked in shock. Their father sneered at them and rested his hands on the edge of the armrests of his throne.

"This way I can keep an eye on them and keep that friend of the Winterstorm brat from helping her find her bond animal. She must never be allowed to have one!" he shouted determinedly. The boys shuddered under the onslaught of their father's words, but dipped their heads meekly, not daring to question him.

"We understand, father. Miss Winterstorm shall never have a bond animal," Grimmur replied confidently. He elbowed his brother covertly, and the two of them rose and backed out of the room.

* * *

Darksoul watched his two sons go absentmindedly, more focused on the recent problem than on his own flesh and blood. If what that old woman had said was true, then Cog Winterstorm must never be allowed to find her bond animal. His own monster had told him quite explicitly that if she did, their goal would become nothing but a fantasy, and the man didn't want that.

'Bloody prophecies, with their riddles and warnings,' he thought sullenly. For that woman had told him something that troubled him. Even now, years after he had gone to her for help, her words haunted him, echoing around his head like a person's shout in a cavern of the dweorgir.

" _United as one, Fire and Ice_

 _Obey the time-lost child of vice._

 _Torn from time, the riders of Night_

 _Give Freedom's Wings a glimmer of light._

 _Alternate paths restore the Gate._

 _Catastrophe's end lies in the duplicate._

 _A Seraph howls with the Night's volley_

 _And Wings bring about the end of Folly."_

That blasted keeper of the Library had a prophecy tucked away somewhere, and she had shown it to him. It was the last of the great Farseer's prophecies, given just before the venerable dragon had died, and it had nearly driven him mad with the cryptic lines that spoke of Night and Wings. He knew what the Folly, the Seraph, the Gate, and the Fire and Ice were, but the rest was a mystery to him. How could alternate paths restore that ancient relic? And what was the duplicate that would end the Catastrophe? Questions like these had given him many sleepless nights, and now that Miss Winterstorm was back in Faded Dreams, he would have countless more empty nights.

But maybe, if he found a way to get rid of the girl and her friend, he wouldn't have to worry.

Darksoul found this to be his greatest hope. All he had to do was figure out a scheme that would dispose of his little issues without suspicion, and he could finally prove that old woman wrong. Then he could go about with his supreme plan and finally get what he wanted.

Heimska would make sure of that.

* * *

 **Author's Notes: In case you were wondering, most of the words and names that sound weird are actually Icelandic. Thank chocolate for Google Translate! If they're in italics, that means they're titles, sort of like calling someone Professor or Doctor before their name.**

 **Reviews are always welcome! If you want to make a character donation, just review or PM me and I will gladly look over your gift. Just remember: no Mary Sues/Marty Stus, no super OP characters, and no Night Furies. I already have something planned regarding that. But even if you don't want to do that, review anyways! I like hearing from you guys!**

 **Wild Cat 214, out!**


	7. Chapter 7

_**Chapter 7: Hall of Ancestors**_

 **Author's Notes: In this, I affirm something you guys probably know already! Woot! But I'm not gonna tell you what that is right here. You can probably tell just by looking up. Maybe.**

 **Review:**

 **The Story Of Your Life (Mar. 14, Chapter 6) – Thanks! I tried to show how spoiled and terrible they were (I copied and pasted the other boy's name, because I was too lazy to write it each time XD), so I just hope Hiccup's reaction was in character. Yeah, the** ** _Jarl_** **is definitely not a good guy, and you'll be able to tell in the final chapter, where you learn how he became king! And Cog** ** _will_** **survive long enough to find her bond animal!**

 **...But I make no promises beyond that.**

 **Muahahahahahaha!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own, blah blah blah, just the variations.**

 **Key:**

 **0*0*0 – scene change**

 **Horizontal line – perspective change**

* * *

Hiccup and I were in the miscellaneous storage room when the messenger came. I had my assortment of metal studs and strips (all of einherjarium, an incredibly lightweight and strong metal used for many things, including Toothless' tail) already chosen, and Hiccup was helping me pick out a few appropriate buckles or fasteners for the armor when she came.

"Miss Winterstorm, honored guests, you are summoned to the palace," she said, her voice quivering a bit with shock. I couldn't blame her. A Markless girl being summoned before the _Jarl_ himself? Even the luckiest gambler in the Land of the Squandered wouldn't take that bet.

I slowly turned to look at Hiccup, and the confusion, shock, and awe churning inside of me was mirrored in his face. Of course, he didn't really understand how big this was, but hey, he had only been here for a day. How could he know just how impossibly rare this occasion was?

"We understand," I replied for the both of us. "Let us gather our things before we leave." Thankfully, I remembered that much from my etiquette lessons from a few years ago. If I hadn't used the correct words and phrasing, things could go much worse for us.

The messenger dipped her head in acknowledgment and walked away, leaving me and Hiccup to ourselves.

"Cog, what's going on? Why are we going to the palace?" he asked worriedly. The look of bemusement on my face didn't help.

"I honestly have no idea. We haven't broken any laws, I haven't done something to offend the _Jarl_ , and... oh, sky gods. Hiccup! It might have been Grimmur and Óvæginn! They're the sons of _Jarl_ Darksoul, the ruler of the Land of the Faded!" I realized with dread. Both boys were notorious for being selfish, spoiled brats that went to their daddy whenever things didn't go their way. Of course, he didn't always do what they wanted, which gave me some modicum of respect for him, but he also gave me that funny feeling when he spoke, just like his sons did. I had heard that some Myst Magic was hereditary, especially if the bond animal was powerful. Of course, no one had ever _seen_ his bond animal, even though many had seen the distinct all-black Sigil on his back. Perhaps it had something to do with that.

"Wait. So they're technically the sons of the chief?" he asked slowly. I shrugged.

"Sure, sure, if that's what the leader of your village was called. Only their dad doesn't just lead a village; he rules over the entire Land of the Faded!" I shouted hysterically. Both he and Toothless gave me a reproachful look, and I sighed, rubbing my eyes.

"Sorry. This just doesn't happen that often. Are you sure you weren't sent by the sky gods? Because so far, it sure seems like they've put a blessing on you," I said wearily. Hiccup shook his head.

"I think I would know if I was sent by the sky gods, Cog. Anyways, I guess we have to pack up and go to the palace. Uh, what is a palace?" he asked sheepishly as we began to walk back to our rooms. I sighed quietly.

"It's a really big, fancy building that the royal family lives in. Well, right now, the Darksoul boys live at the Academy, but once they graduate, they'll go back to the palace and start learning how to rule. I think Óvæginn might be the one to inherit, even if Grimmur is older. He shows a lot more common sense and intelligence than his brother does," I explained. We passed by a few students, barely ten years old, and they gawked at all three of us. Me, because I was known throughout the city as the Markless girl, Hiccup, because he was a new face, and Toothless, because he was a relatively unknown monster to them, and I could tell they were wondering all sorts of things about us.

"Cog, why are they all staring at us?" Hiccup muttered under his breath. I smirked.

"Because we're a novelty. Don't worry. A few months of staying in Faded Dreams and they'll all be used to us. And cheer up! It's not every day you get summoned to the palace!" I replied brightly, patting him on the back lightly. He flinched a bit, but I could tell he didn't mind too much. It was probably because he was so used to wearing clothes that covered his back, and feeling someone's hand on his bare skin was not a sensation he was used to. Sky gods, I wouldn't know. The last time I felt someone touch my back was just before I was declared Markless by the Jarl, when I was five and hadn't felt the pull to find my bond animal. Now, most people just avoided touching me.

But all that would change, with Hiccup's help.

'Thank you,' I prayed happily to the sky gods. I wasn't sure if they heard me, but the faint breeze that ruffled my hair a bit meant that they probably did.

* * *

Hiccup and Cog gathered their few possessions (Cog just grabbed a few needles of varying sizes, some thread and cord, and some strange version of shears, and Hiccup merely grabbed the things he had on him when he crashed. Somehow, all their food and supplies had disappeared when they crashed, no trace left of them anywhere. It was as if they never existed. All he had was his flight gear and his clothing, and those were tucked away inside Cog's bag. So really, they just had to grab the tiny things they had before going to the palace.

0*0*0

Outside of the Academy, they ran into the messenger, who had clearly been waiting, if the bored look in her eye was any indication. They hadn't been that long, though...

"Please follow me," she sighed, walking toward the gates. As they passed through the crowded streets, Hiccup couldn't help but look around in wonder. The people, the buildings, the strange contraptions that put even his automatic bola launcher to shame, the incredible creatures that roamed the streets, all of these dazzled him. The colors, the sights, the smells, it took all his concentration just to keep up with Cog and the messenger, even as they began crossing a metal bridge to what seemed to be the largest building in the skycity.

It was the palace.

The green marble and pale golden wood that made up the castle, along with the colored glass in the windows, was a marvel to him. Even the sight of the banners flapping high on the rooftops was amazing. He didn't realize he was just standing there until he felt Cog grab his wrist and pull.

"Come on, Hiccup. We can't make the _Jarl_ wait," she said cheerily. Hiccup nodded and let her lead him to the palace.

0*0*0

When they stepped through the huge doors into the throne room, Hiccup wasn't sure what to expect. Perhaps a crowd of people, or a pathway lined with guards, not the empty hall that greeted them. The only person in the room was a man, black hair starting to turn gray under its golden circlet, sitting on a green and gold throne at the far end of the huge room. Pillars held up the ceiling, stained glass windows cast colorful images on the floor, and a banner with some sort of winged wolf thing hung behind him. The throne itself was on a dais with stairs, and two smaller thrones were set behind it to the left and right. Those were probably the Darksoul boys' seats.

"Welcome to Faded Dreams, honored guests," the _Jarl_ said pleasantly. Cog nudged him and started to lead them forward. When they reached a certain point marked with a stone crest of another wolf thing, she bowed deeply and motioned for him to do the same.

"Thank you for your generous invitation, _Jarl_ Darksoul. On behalf of my guests, I thank you for the kindness you have shown," Cog replied solemnly. When she rose up, Hiccup did the same and saw the man watching them cautiously.

"Your gratitude is accepted, Miss Winterstorm, honored guests. Please, enjoy your stay in Faded Dreams," he replied smoothly. One hand barely moved, but as soon as it did, a chubby man wearing a green and gold uniform stepped out from behind some sort of folding screen and bowed.

" _R_ _áðsmaður_ Washer will show you to your rooms, and after you have settled in and changed into appropriate clothing, I would appreciate it greatly if you both joined me for dinner," the _Jarl_ explained calmly. But hidden under that calm was a hint of a command. Something told Hiccup that, whether he liked it or not, he was going to eat with the ruler of the Land of the Faded.

0*0*0

Luckily, Hiccup and Cog's rooms were next to each other, connected by some sort of balcony that glass doors in the far end of their rooms led to. Of course, they had barely stored their things in wardrobes before several servants, some women, some men, came in and started selecting their clothing. Hiccup had almost no say in the outfit that was chosen for him, even though it was very comfortable and soft, and he would have preferred to wear something less... ornate. Embroidered vines and birds nearly covered his silky shirt, the collar that secured it to his front was speckled with beads and more embroidery, and his pants were a bit too tight for his liking. Not uncomfortably tight, just not loose enough to hide his twiggy legs. But despite his protests, soon he was dressed and ready for the most uncomfortable dinner of his life.

0*0*0

Dinner passed uneventfully and uncomfortably. The _Jarl_ asked him many questions about his homeland, Cog wore a gray dress that covered most of her torso and left her arms bare, and Toothless and Nuts could be heard feasting a short distance away on fish and bread. Hiccup did have to admit that the food was better than anything he had ever tasted, even surpassing Gobber's cooking in some aspects. It was fine, it was rich, and it screamed _money_. Clearly, being _Jarl_ meant you ate far better than anyone else.

At least Grimmur and his brother weren't there, mostly because they had to stay and eat at the Academy until they graduated. Thank the gods for small blessings. But as he was escorted back to his room, Hiccup couldn't help but wonder why the Jarl was doing this. Maybe he should ask Cog, seeing as she knew what to do in this world.

As soon as he was inside, however, he heard something click in the direction of the door, and the sound of metal softly clinking just outside. He scowled, then crossed the soft rug to the glass door. It was locked, and he didn't think the _Jarl_ would take kindly to him breaking it open. All of this told him one thing. There was no chance of talking to Cog tonight.

* * *

After we slept, I worked on my armor while I waited for the _Jarl_ to summon us again. Only a fool would not realize that he was planning something. I am not a fool.

Most of the time, anyways.

It was around late afternoon, the same time Hiccup and I had encountered the Darksoul boys yesterday, when I felt it. Something was out there, something familiar, and it was calling for me, I just knew it. So I set aside my armor (nearly done, with only the studs, strips, and buckles to put in place) and left my room.

There were no guards outside my door this time, which was lucky. I had heard one outside my door last night, just after dinner, and it made me wonder just how welcome we really were. But now I was free to follow that call and find the source.

0*0*0

My search led me to a tapestry depicting some sort of white, two-headed dragon with colorful plates of armor on its back. One head, the one with blue plates, the left red eye, and the right blue eye, was breathing ice down at a group of warriors on their monsters. Dragon, beast, insect, even bird and reptile class monsters were woven into the tapestry, the different species all providing a rainbow of color to the bottom of the cloth. The second head, on the other hand, was breathing fire, red plates, red right eye, and blue left eye providing a stark contrast to the first head's colors. Where their necks met their body, purple plates appeared and snaked down to the tip of their tail, where pieces of flesh similar to their ear flaps stuck out like fins on either side. Four legs, each with smaller fins like the tail or the ears on the back of the lower parts, were folded against its body, and two huge wings with clusters of black spots at the base of the thumb claw were spread in flight.

It all seemed strangely familiar, like I had seen this dragon before. But where?

"Isn't it a fine piece of art? I personally find it to be the best in the palace," an oily voice said behind me. I whirled in panic to see _Jarl_ Darksoul watching me serenely. He took a few steps closer and pointed at the dragon.

"This was one of the greatest foes of Faded Dreams, defeated shortly after the war between us and Forgotten Wishes," he explained proudly. I nodded, understanding slowly coming to me.

"You mean the war a hundred and fifty years ago?"

"Precisely. Some believe the people of Forgotten Wishes captured it and used it as a secret weapon against us. It's called a Skellurdreki, and shortly after it was brought down, it sealed itself off in a crystalline ball. The crystal was taken to the palace vaults and placed within a secure room, just in case it decides to break out of its crystal stasis and attack again." He ran his fingers down the threads slowly, as if he had been there personally and was remembering it. But that wasn't possible. He had only been around for forty years. The war had been over for over a century.

"Huh," was my only reply. I know, I'm extremely eloquent. It's one of my best features.

* * *

Xavier Darksoul looked at the Winterstorm girl with practiced calm. She clearly had no idea what this tapestry hid, or else she wouldn't have just been staring at it. There was still the matter of how she had found it in the first place.

'Perhaps she is growing resistant to Heimska's influence,' he mused silently. No matter. That would soon be remedied. He could take care of this Winterstorm brat, the boy and his dragon, and the thing he kept hidden all at once, if his plan went correctly.

"Wow. This tapestry has lasted for a hundred and fifty years?" she asked innocently. He fought the urge to roll his eyes.

'A hundred and sixty-four, you nitwit,' Darksoul thought exasperatedly. But he didn't let his irritation show. Cog Winterstorm was not to know how much he despised her.

"That sounds about right," he replied instead, pleasantly smiling at her.

"If you like art, I have something you might enjoy. Please, follow me." Without waiting to hear her answer, he led her away from the tapestry and toward the Hall of Ancestors, an extremely large hall that held portraits of all the notable families in the history of the Land of the Faded. When they arrived, he calmly walked over to his target: the section reserved for the Winterstorms.

"Who're they?" Cog asked curiously, looking at them in awe. He smirked at her ignorance.

"They're the Winterstorms, Miss Cog. Your ancestors," Darksoul said pointedly. She shook her head, even as she looked at the white-haired and green-eyed people painted on the hanging canvas. One in particular caught her eye: a woman wearing a black dress and a man dressed in a black suit, both of whom had white hair and green eyes.

"Ah, Gear Winterstorm and her lover, Arrow Winterstorm-Pearlblood. The two were very distant cousins, which was probably the only thing her family approved of when it came to their relationship. You see, Gear was already engaged to someone when it was revealed that she was pregnant with her lover's child. What a surprise it was when she gave birth to twin daughters, each with their parents' white hair and green eyes! The engagement was broken, of course, and when the war neared its end, she and Arrow were assassinated during an attack on the city. No one knows what happened to their daughters, whether they were killed, kidnapped, or simply hidden," he monologued, keeping his cold violet eyes on the girl. She looked at him warily, as if expecting what he said next.

"Perhaps you are their descendant?" he asked calmly.

Cog shook her head bitterly. This was a bit of a shock to him, but he didn't let it show. Why would she deny something so obvious? If she accepted his claim, then she could have had money and titles that had lain dormant for decades, and take her place as a noblewoman. It would have made getting rid of her much easier. After all, assassins from Forgotten Wishes might decide to finish the job of wiping out the family line when she came to prominence. And maybe one of her rival courtiers might decide to do his job for him. And of course, once she was important, that made any friend of hers a target, too. It was killing two birds with one stone.

"I may look like them, _Jarl_ Darksoul, but I'm no real Winterstorm. I was just given the name by my guardian because of how he found me, not because of any special reason. Besides, they were famous monster tamers, on par with the Pearlbloods of the Land of the Strayed. I'm Markless," she replied sadly. "Trust me, there's no relationship between us."

Darksoul eyed her suspiciously, but his Myst Magic told him she was telling the truth, or at least, what she believed was the truth. That was the downside to his Magic. If someone believed they were telling the truth, even if he knew they were actually lying, his Myst Magic wouldn't react and tell him so. But he knew something that Cog didn't. No other family had white hair and green eyes as common traits. Only the Winterstorms did. Her coloration was almost impossible for anyone not related to that illustrious family, no matter what she thought.

And if she was, in fact, a real Winterstorm and didn't know it, then his job had gotten a lot harder.

* * *

The _Jarl_ seemed a bit surprised by what I had said, and it made no sense to me. He of all people should know that I couldn't be a true Winterstorm. It was impossible. The Winterstorms had been amazing monster tamers, and some legends say they could have up to ten minor bond animals alongside their Sigil. Eleven bonds! Most people can barely handle two or three! I just have one, and it's only a minor. I don't have my Sigil. How could I be a real Winterstorm?

"Uh, well, I see. I shall see you for dinner, then, along with the honored guests?" he asked, for once not acting like his usual confident self. His voice also stopped giving me that weird feeling when he spoke. I nodded.

"Indeed, _Jarl_ Darksoul. If you will excuse me, I believe I shall go back to my room to finish my work," I said before bowing and backing out of the room. Once I was clear of him, I went back to my room and started sewing together my armor. It was mostly to kill time until Hiccup got back from his guided tour of the skycity. I hadn't talked to him much since yesterday, and there were a few things we needed to discuss.

* * *

Something stirred beneath the palace, shifting against the chains that weighed down its body, and opened its eyes to look out from under the tarp that covered it. Light from the anolite crystals over the fixtures on the walls and stairs crept beneath the cloth warily, as if it was afraid of being caught by the guards, and hit snowy white scales that hadn't seen daylight in years. The monster hidden there managed to push the bones of its scanty meal out from its resting place and looked up, toward the ceiling blocked by thick cloth. She was there, close enough that the connection between them was nearly tangible. Their souls had been calling to one another through the stone walls and wooden floors of the palace, she had felt it all that afternoon. The call had started to die down again, but now that she knew she was there, it was only a matter of time before it rose up again.

Soon they would reunite and be free again. All she had to do was remove the chains, and she would no longer be held captive by that fool who called himself king.

* * *

 **Author's Notes: Try and guess what is stashed under that tarp. It's really obvious, so much so that I'm almost ashamed of myself. But really, it's the** ** _Jarl_** **who should be ashamed. He's the one who-oh, I can't tell you. I want to see your guesses. Suffice it to say, he's got quite the history.  
**

 **Please review! Important stuff is going to happen soon, and I want to see what you have to say on the recent events.**

 **Wild Cat 214, out!**


	8. Chapter 8

_**Chapter 8: Myst Magic and Monsters**_

 **Author's Notes: GUESS WHAT, PEOPLE? SOMETHING BIG IS GOING TO HAPPEN IN THIS CHAPTER!**

 **Okay, several big somethings, but you get the idea.**

 **THERE WILL BE MONSTERS! THERE WILL BE MAGIC! AND THERE WILL BE MADNESS!**

 **Really, what more could you ask for?**

 **Reviews:**

 **The Story Of Your Life (Mar. 19, Chapter 7) – Yes, the "beast" is a dragon. But what kind of dragon? (O.o) And they will eventually go to Berk. Just not in the way you expect. Thanks for liking it!**

 **Guest (Mar. 19, Chapter 2) – Don't worry, I** ** _will_** **keep going. Thanks for thinking it's interesting. Oh, and you're welcome. Just thought I should mention that. Considerate people are so rare in this world.  
**

 **Disclaimer: HTTYD is not mine.**

 **Key:**

 **0*0*0 – scene change**

 **Horizontal line – perspective change**

* * *

Thankfully, we managed to survive another awkward dinner with the _Jarl_ , and this time, I made sure both of our balcony doors were unlocked before we called it a night. Last night, I hadn't been able to help Hiccup with his Myst Magic. Tonight, though, I could finally teach him how to use it.

I opened the door, slipped out into the cool night air of the balcony, and quietly knocked on Hiccup's door. He opened it a moment later and watched as I put an aberite-dusted shade over half of the anolite crystal. It would keep the guards from realizing what we were doing, and at the same time allow us to see what was going on. Aberite absorbs any light that hits it. _Any_ light. It basically renders you invisible when you stand in shadows. Okay, enough about the magical qualities of a black rock.

"So, how do I use Myst Magic, Cog?" Hiccup murmured. I grinned and showed him the back of my hands.

"Okay. First of all, you are aware of your bond with Toothless, right? That's the most important part. If you don't know that bond exists, you can't use the Magic. Can you feel that connection?" I asked him. He concentrated for a bit, closing his eyes, and a small smile spread across his face.

"Yeah, I can feel it. It's kind of like we have this string between us, right?" he asked, glancing at his dragon. The Night Fury warbled in agreement and lifted one flap inquisitively. I nodded and let Nuts climb up onto my right hand, still showing Hiccup the back of my left, where the bond mark was.

"That sounds about right. It basically just needs to be a connection between you and Toothless. If you can feel that, you can use that bond to manipulate the Myst around us and inside of you." I cleared my throat before continuing.

"All things that possess a spirit also have a tiny bit of Myst inside of them. That includes animals, plants, all the different races of the Fractured Lands, and the various species of monsters. Some believe Myst found outside a body is actually the spirits of people and other things who have already died, some claim that it is really the remains of the world before the Catastrophe, endlessly cycling through the world now, and some think both are correct. Myst Magic enables people who have bonded or are Markless to control that flow of Myst and use it in ways that are otherwise impossible.

"Now, Myst Magic has two major types. There are passive Magics, and active Magics. The amount of Magics you can use depends on two things. One, the duration of your bond with a monster. Two, frequent and extended contact with the monster you are bonded to. I have been bonded to Nuts for seven years, and we've almost been inseparable during that time, so I have the maximum amount possible for this bond." Hiccup raised his hand.

"I just have a few questions. What do you mean by types and amount?" he asked curiously. I smiled again.

"I was just getting to that. Passive Magics are the kind that are almost constantly active, using up a small amount of Myst as time goes on. Mr. Barna has a passive type; his skin is really tough and hard to damage, because he's bonded to a Gargoyle. George is busy making sure the medicite healing his partner remains where it is and isn't stolen, 'cause that rock is really valuable. Anyways, active Magics are ones that you have to actually try to use. Strut has an active type; his bond animal is a Mimic, so he can tell when something is real or fake when he uses his Magic. The amount is how many different Magics you get from a single bond. I have the maximum, which is three, because of how long I've been bonded to Nuts and how much we've been together. How long have you and Toothless been bonded?" I explained, raising an eyebrow at him. He shrugged.

"A few weeks," came his casual reply. I looked at Nuts, and he gave me a single chirp.

"Okay, then that means you have one, for now. Try focusing on your Sigil and picture yourself pulling Myst out of the air and into your Sigil. Can you do it?"

Hiccup concentrated again, even harder than before, and I went around to look at his Sigil. The biggest of the black diamonds on his back had a faint purple glow around it – a telltale sign of Myst Magic being used – but it soon faded away.

"Did anything happen?" Hiccup asked, his eyes still screwed shut. I sighed.

"No, but you were getting there. Watch me and Nuts," I replied calmly. Nuts chirped proudly as he stood up straighter on my hand.

"One of the Magics I get from Nuts is an active type, and when I use it, I can find almost anything. The only thing that prevents me from finding it is if it's too far away or is hidden using Myst Magic. Now, Nuts and I are going to go out to our half of the balcony. You hide something, okay, Hiccup? If you feel the need to, you can make Toothless keep an eye on us so he doesn't give it away when we come back in," I suggested. Hiccup shrugged.

"Okay, fine. Go outside." I, Nuts, and Toothless all went through the glass door to the balcony and walked over to the end on my side. As we waited, I watched the stars high above twinkle through the sparse cloud cover, each tiny pinprick a glimmer of hope in the endless blackness.

There were many legends about the stars. The one I liked best was the tale of the dragon who was given a basket of diamonds as payment for its help in a fight against a ferocious monster. When the village near its nest found out about the riches, it took them in its jaws and flew away, fearful of losing its precious gift to the greed of the men and women hunting it. One man, a hunter known for his skill in archery, sent an arrow flying toward the dragon. It struck the heart of the poor creature and in a cry of defeat and despair, it flung the basket into the sky, scattering the diamonds across the emptiness. The dragon itself fell to the ground, but the sky gods took pity and rearranged some of the diamonds in its shape. Ever since then, the Star Dragon has always pointed to the north with its nose, guiding travelers and serving as a beautiful reminder of what greed does to people as it flies forever among its gift.

"Okay, you can come in now," Hiccup said softly. I turned and followed him back, Nuts on my shoulder and Toothless bringing up the rear. When we got back inside his room, I looked around curiously. It didn't seem like anything was hidden.

"So, show me how it's done, Cog. Find my vest using your Myst Magic," Hiccup said confidently. I nodded, placed Nuts on Toothless' head, and began concentrating on the bond mark on my hand. It felt warm, and from Hiccup's little gasp of amazement, it had probably started glowing. Good. That meant it was working.

I held out that hand in front of me, letting it guide me as I turned around slowly. The hotter it got, the closer I was. Finally, it started feeling like I was holding a cup of scalding water. That was it. I opened my eyes to see the end table near Hiccup's bed.

"Got ya," I grinned, walking toward it. My hand felt hottest when it was held in front of the small cabinet, so I opened it to find the fur vest Hiccup had been wearing when I found him and Toothless.

"Wow. That was incredible, Cog. How'd you do that?" he asked softly. I smiled and showed him my hand. Now I could see the faint golden glow leaving the crystal mark, and the warmth slowly faded away to my usual body temperature.

"I used the bond between me and Nuts to draw in Myst and sense the location of the object. It's also easier when I know what it looks like, so I usually ask the kids to describe their bond animals when they lose them in the city. It happens more often than you'd think," I explained, rubbing the back of my hand absently. Channeling Myst wasn't easy, even after years of practice. If I wasn't careful, I could end up really tired. Even now, it still tingled unpleasantly.

"So that's all I have to do?" Hiccup asked seriously. I nodded.

"If it helps, you can always try touching Toothless while you concentrate. Physical contact helps with the bond's strength, making it easier to use Magic related to that bond animal." He nodded, thinking hard. Toothless chose that moment to nudge Hiccup with his head and warble encouragingly. The boy smiled and rubbed his dragon's head gratefully, making him croon happily in return.

"Thanks, bud. Thanks, Cog. I'm gonna do my best," he said determinedly. I grinned and sat down on the floor to watch him.

As he closed his eyes and rested his hand on Toothless, I could tell by the determined set of his mouth that he was really going to try and find his Myst Magic. This was always the hardest part of finding a new Magic: figuring out what it is. Until I was asked to locate a certain coin hidden in a pile of scrap metal, without using my eyes, I hadn't known what I could do. And thanks to Nuts, I could also find traps and other hidden things simply by looking around. It was my second Magic, a passive one that helped with training and practice skirmishes at the Academy. My third was... Well, Claptraps are known for laying traps. It's how they get their name. They set a trap, and when something falls into it, they clap at the epic failure that is their victim. My third is that I know how to disarm almost any trap, even if it's the first time I've seen one of its ilk. Yeah, you can see how useful _that_ is in a big, civilized area.

A purple glow made me look up from my private musings to see Hiccup's Sigil glowing. It wasn't just the diamond, but all the diamonds and crystals on his back, that had that violet light to them. Seemed like he had finally managed to use his Myst Magic.

That was when things went weird. One moment, Hiccup was there, his back glowing purple. The next, he had vanished, Toothless with him. Nuts and I just stared at the place they had been in shock before my little dragon let out a loud squeal of shock. I clamped my hand over his face and looked at the door, but it seemed like the guard hadn't heard. Maybe he was asleep?

"Uh, Cog? What happened?" Hiccup's voice came out of the air just in front of me. I looked around for the source, but he wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"Hiccup? Where are you?" I replied warily. I could almost hear him roll his eyes.

"I'm right in front of you, like I've always been. Did something happen to me?" he replied, his voice going from sarcastic to curious in a matter of seconds. I eyed the area the disembodied voice had come from and slowly reached out my hand. When I felt his hair, it took all the willpower I had not to scream.

"Why are you touching my hair? Is something up? Did it change color, or something?" he asked worriedly. I shook my head, too busy with my thoughts to be concerned with what color his hair was. Toothless was a Night Fury, and it was nighttime. No one had ever seen a Night Fury before. It only made sense that someone bonded to them would have strange Magic.

"Uh, Hiccup, you're... invisible!" I whispered excitedly. This was incredible!

I felt him move away from me, and that's when Toothless reappeared. He looked around with wide eyes, but relaxed when he heard Hiccup's voice telling him where he was.

"Am I? I am!" he said, thrilled at this new aspect of himself. I nodded and looked at the recently visible dragon.

"Hey, Hiccup? Touch Toothless again," I commanded. There was the sound of cloth rustling, and a moment later, his dragon disappeared.

"No way! Hiccup, you can make anyone you're touching disappear, too!" I told him rapidly. There was a brief moment of silence, and then both he and Toothless reappeared. He had a tired expression on his face, and I realized he had exhausted all his Myst supplies.

"Oooh, right, I should have told you. If you use an active Magic too much, you actually deplete your own Myst. You'll have to rest for a bit to get it back," I said sheepishly. He gave me an exasperated look before slumping to the ground.

"Well, how do you do it? You were using that one Magic of yours, and you didn't feel like you needed to sleep for a week," he countered accusingly. I shrugged.

"I have a higher Myst concentration than most people. I can last longer. The proof is my bond mark, on my back." Hiccup gave me a very confused eyebrow lift.

"I thought you said you were Markless," he replied uncertainly. I sighed.

"By Markless, people mean someone that doesn't have a Sigil or major bond mark. If I didn't have my own personal bond mark, I'd be Bareback, and I wouldn't be able to use Myst Magic if I did bond to something. Also, that bond would be really weak and temporary, and it wouldn't give me a crystal marking on my skin," I explained. To prove my point, I took off my vest and turned around.

"See? I just have a white crystal," I said softly. Hiccup was silent... and silent... and silent... and silent some more... Finally, I twisted my head enough to see him out of the corner of my eye.

"What?"

"You said you only have a white crystal, right?" That question gave me a funny feeling, but I couldn't help but say yes. That's what I had been told my entire life.

"Then why do you have three black diamonds, a blue crystal, and a red crystal on your back as well?"

* * *

Cog was deathly silent and still. Slowly, she turned around to look at Hiccup, her eyes wide and disbelieving.

"W-what did you just say? How- I- What- WHAT?!" she screeched quietly. He nodded, scared just a tiny bit. He had never seen Cog this upset, not even when the Darksoul boys were bullying her. It was like her entire personality had just flip-flopped and become an entirely different, much angrier person.

"Yeah, and a white crystal above them all. Isn't that good?" he asked quietly. Cog simply closed her gaping mouth, walked over to the end table, withdrew a piece of paper and some charcoal, and handed them to him wordlessly.

"Uh..."

"Draw what you see on my back," she ordered icily. Hiccup nodded and started sketching out the design. The white crystal was in the middle, long point facing down toward a large black diamond, and at 45° angles to its left and right were a sapphire blue crystal and a rose red crystal, points also toward the large diamond. Between the three crystals, near the smaller points, were two small black diamonds. It formed a geometric fan shape, and it definitely shocked Cog when she saw the finished result.

"So all this time, I thought I was Markless? When really I had a Twin Sigil?" she murmured quietly, all the fire going out of her. It soon returned with a very cold glare.

"And people have been making fun of me for being Markless, when I really had more power than any of them could have imagined? I've been lied to my entire life? That's it," the girl growled. Nuts squeaked cautiously, and she put a hand gently to the tiny dragon. She stood up and looked at the door, a faraway look on her face.

"I can feel it..." she whispered wonderingly. Suddenly, she glanced down at Hiccup, pulled him to his feet, and looked at them all.

"You know what? I'm done with the lies. I can feel my bond animal calling to me, and there is nothing that is going to keep me from it," she snarled heatedly. He swallowed and nodded, still surprised by the sudden shift in personality. Was this how she managed to stay so cheerful? By forcing it down and letting it build up until something made her snap? If so, that definitely wasn't good for her.

But Hiccup was saved from worrying about her by her advance toward the door to the balcony.

* * *

You know, the _Jarl_ really wasn't thinking when he gave us these rooms. You see, the balconies of the palace, overlooking the huge fountain in the verdant courtyard in the middle, were all spaced like bricks. Half of one balcony overlapped another, making it too easy to get from one floor to the other without being noticed. I did this, once I grabbed my finished armor and pulled it on. I still had some leftover, so I handed the bag to Hiccup and motioned for him to put it on Toothless. When we were ready, we went down a level to an empty room and used it to get past the guards outside our doors.

I walked quickly and quietly down the hallways, grateful that everyone was basically asleep. When we arrived at the tapestry I had been standing in front of earlier, the call was at its strongest. This was it.

"Whoa. That's a pretty unusual dragon," Hiccup commented. I ignored him and started looking around. Sure enough, my Magic helped me detect the switch hidden behind the bust of some random guy scowling at us in marble. I reached back, pressed it, and a moment later, I heard the soft creak of well-used metal moving. Within seconds, the entire wall was gone, and a faint breeze made the tapestry flutter gently against my legs. I wasted no time in marching through and down the stairs, noting the anolite fixtures on the wall. No one used anolite unless they came here often. Whatever was down here, it was definitely important to the _Jarl_.

We reached the bottom, where a large room greeted us. At one end was a huge tarp covering something big, with the ropes secured to four round posts topped with stone spheres. There was the sound of breathing underneath it, and a moment after we all reached the room, the tarp shifted. Whatever was under it was alive.

As soon as I saw the tarp, the call nearly reached an unbearable pitch inside of me. I rushed forward and started cutting the ropes with my dagger, which I had attached to the inside of my armor for safe keeping. As soon as two of the ropes were cut, Hiccup helped me move the heavy cloth and get a good look at the monster I was bonded to. Needless to say, we were all shocked.

It was the dragon in the tapestry, right down to the eye color, the plate color, and the lobes of flesh on its legs and tail. Both heads growled happily as soon as they saw me, and when they came forward to nuzzle me, I felt the Twin Sigil on my back tingle a bit. That was the bond reconnecting between us. All three of us. Me, and the two heads of this dragon.

"You're a Skellurdreki... no, you're Snow and Ash!" I exclaimed, the tingle of the Twin Sigil bringing back the memory of when I first met them, just before I got sick and missed my own Linking Ceremony. It was the day before my fifth birthday, and I had felt something calling me toward the forest below. I somehow managed to make it past all the checkpoints on the bridges connecting Faded Dreams and went to the Linking Site, a clearing with a small stone pedestal where children wait for their bond animals to appear. It felt like something was missing from that memory, but right now, all that mattered was that I had found my bond animal.

I was complete again.

* * *

 _Jarl_ Xavier Darksoul couldn't sleep, which was very, very odd. Normally, he slept like a log, safe with the assumption that nothing would go wrong in his brief absence from the throne. How very wrong he was.

" **Darksoul, you fool! Wake up!** " Heimska shouted in his mind. It jolted him out of the half-dreaming state he had lain in for the past hour or so and made him sit up straight, waiting for his bond animal to continue.

"What is it, Heimska?" he asked warily. There was a terrible rumble from the ground far below, only audible if you were listening for it, and he forced back the lump in his throat. His partner was mad, dangerously so.

" **That Winterstorm brat has found the Skellurdreki we captured! She has revived the bond between them! You must stop her!** " his partner screeched mentally. Few humanoids could speak with their monster partners, and only if that partner was able to communicate. Heimska was so much more than one of those monsters, and Darksoul was definitely not your run-of-the-mill human.

As soon as he heard those words, he jumped out of his cold bed, pulled on his robes, and burst from the royal apartments. The pair of guards outside broke from their dozes by the door and stood at attention. He eyed them viciously before calmly glaring at them and ordering, "There has been an intrusion in the Deep Vault. Apprehend the intruders, and, if necessary, kill them. They are terrorists from Forgotten Wishes who want to bring down the Land of the Faded."

The faces of the guards instantly hardened at the mention of this hated enemy. Relations between the two nations had always been rocky, especially after the war. It was almost pitifully easy to get his men riled up and ready to shed blood, at least, whenever he mentioned the Land of the Forgotten. And Darksoul was never afraid to use that to his advantage. How else would he have risen to power?

His Myst Magic had also helped with that, and it barely even drained him. But that's beside the point, for now.

"Yes, my lord!" the taller of the two men saluted before running off with his partner to gather more soldiers. It may have been one and a half centuries since the last major conflict, but all soldiers of the land were required to be in top shape, just in case a problem arose. And arisen, one had.

Oh, one had definitely come up. Right under their noses. Literally.

" **You know what will happen if the Winterstorm girl escapes with her monster...** " Heimska threatened in his mind. Darksoul scowled deeply.

"All too well," he replied, his voice bitterly cold. The man knew exactly what Heimska would do to him if he screwed up this time. He knew it, as he had said, "all too well..."

* * *

 **Author's Notes: Finally, Cog has found her bond animal! And yeah, she kinda has a little bit of a split personality. How else do you think she remains so cheerful all the time? All that negativity has to go somewhere! Besides, aggressive Cog is fun to write.**

 **Of course, they still have the guards to worry about, but I'll handle that next chapter.**

 **I feel like I made the animal too obvious in the earlier chapters. I dunno. What do you guys think?**

 **Please review! Your input gives me life and joy :D**

 **Wild Cat 214, out!**


	9. Chapter 9

**_Chapter 9: Two Heads Are Definitely Better Than One_**

 **Author's Notes: We're at the penultimate chapter, people! Episode 1 is nearly over. For some reason, that makes me kinda sad... But at the same time, I'm glad I can get to episode 2. Even if this is an exciting chapter.**

 **Reviews:**

 **The Story Of Your Life (Mar. 20, Chapter 8) – Yeah, she is kinda like Astrid, only less prone to hit Hiccup. He doesn't deserve that much pummeling, even if he gets some damage in this chapter. The fight is truly beginning now. Fight for what, you ask? You shall see... And yes, her Magic will get stronger, eventually.**

 **Disclaimer: HTTYD is not mine.**

 **Key:**

 **0*0*0 – scene change**

 **Horizontal line – perspective change**

* * *

Snow and Ash nudged me with their heads, each crooning softly. I was just happy that I had a bond animal, even if I had been lied to my entire life about them. It made sense that I had a Twin Sigil, seeing as my Skellurdreki had two heads. I was bonded to both Snow and Ash. That was what the red and blue crystals meant, one for each of them. And if Hiccup hadn't come, I would never have found them again. I turned my head to look at him and saw he was watching us awkwardly.

"Hey, Hiccup? Thanks for helping me find Snow and Ash," I said earnestly. He shrugged in reply and looked at Toothless.

"Well, I didn't really help all that much. All I did was tell you about your Sigil," Hiccup said casually. I shook my head and put a hand on the heads of the dragon behind me.

"But you did. If you and Toothless hadn't hit my house, I would never have gotten into the palace and found these guys. I would have lived my entire life hoping I could someday find a bond animal of my own, even though I already had one, er, two," I amended quickly, seeing the looks Snow and Ash were giving me when I said that. Hiccup smiled at me pleasantly, right when Nuts popped out of my armor and chirped at the heads of the Skellurdreki. They growled back in welcome, and soon all of the dragons were talking to each other animatedly. Even Toothless came forward and joined in.

Hiccup and I stepped a few feet away to give them some room, and I glanced at him. He seemed to be thinking about something.

"Still think you weren't sent by the sky gods?" I said teasingly. He smirked and shook his head.

"Yes, yes I do. I'm not entirely sure what these sky gods you're talking about are, but I don't think they want anything to do with me. Where I'm from, I'm usually considered a failure," he admitted bitterly. I frowned and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, I don't think you're a failure, and neither does Toothless. Anyone who thinks you're a failure just doesn't know the real you," I replied with conviction. I really meant it. Hiccup was the kindest, friendliest, and most open-minded person I had ever met. He didn't think I was a mistake when I told him I was Markless, he was willing to help me out – a complete stranger – when I needed someone, and he had kept his word and helped me find Snow and Ash.

"Well, you guys would be the first to think that," he replied. I would have answered him, but that was when we heard the pounding feet on the stairs. Looks like we had been discovered.

* * *

Hiccup kept glancing at Cog, trying to see if she had actually stopped being scary and was her usual cheerful self, and so far it seemed she was staying that way. After the abrupt personality shift when they found Snow and Ash, anything was possible with her. Especially now that he knew she actually did have a... Twin Sigil, whatever that was. It was clearly special, though, going by her reaction to finding out about her Sigil.

But wait. Maybe her Twin Sigil had something to do with her split personality. If she was bonded to technically two monsters, wouldn't that mean she was split between them? Myst was the key to all his questions. If Hiccup could understand more about Myst and its effect on people, he would be able to know more about this world, and consequently, how to get back to Berk.

"Uh, Hiccup, I think we have company," Cog said nervously, staring in the direction of the stairs. He listened carefully and heard the sound of heavy feet on the steps.

"I'm gonna agree with you there," he replied. He didn't know what the penalty was for going into a secret room and releasing a dragon that had its own tapestry depicting it attacking the city, but he had a pretty good idea that it was not pleasant. And his stay in Faded Dreams had been going so well.

Snow – or was it Ash? He couldn't tell them apart just yet – growled and went over to another part of the room, then pulled down on an anolite stand attached to the wall with her mouth. A ramp was revealed, the slanted stone dusty with only a few chunks of the glowing rock attached to the walls, and the white dragon growled with laughter.

"Hey, a secret passageway for the secret room hidden by a secret button. I think this city has enough secrets, don't you?" Cog joked before jumping onto the first of the Skellurdreki's purple armor plates and putting her hands on the blue and red plates. Hiccup smirked dryly and got back in the saddle for Toothless. Last night, he had replaced the fin with the one he had made here, and now the Night Fury was raring to test it out. He wasn't ashamed to admit that he wanted to see just how well they could fly, too.

"Definitely. Let's get out of here, bud," he murmured to his dragon. The Night Fury growled in agreement, and the group of humans and dragons raced up the ramp to some unknown destination.

* * *

Darksoul watched the courtyard from his balcony, searching for some sign that the intruders had been captured. Once they were, he would have good reason to execute Miss Winterstorm and imprison that Hiccup boy forever, unless his guards "accidentally" killed them before the trial. When they were out of his hair, he would be free to go ahead with his plans. Nothing could stand in his way.

"We made it!" a girl shouted joyfully from the courtyard below. He jumped and looked down to see Hiccup riding his black dragon and... NO! That Winterstorm brat was riding her own dragon!

Just then, the doors leading into the courtyard burst open and let almost every guard in the palace into the area. The little brats froze, luckily for them, or else they would have been shot with over fifty crossbow bolts faster than they could blink.

"So, this is how you repay my hospitality, Miss Winterstorm, Hiccup?" he called down to them, using the voice he reserved for addressing large crowds. The two human and three dragon heads – no, four dragon heads (that damn Claptrap had just poked its head out of her armor) – all turned to look at him from their place just outside a ramp previously hidden by the fountain. He had forgotten about that passageway out of the Deep Vault. Well, no matter. He would close it off once these obstacles were removed.

"I think it's a fair trade for what you've done to my dragon, _Jarl_ Darksoul!" Cog shouted back up angrily. Was it just him, or was there something different about her? The Cog his sons reported was meek and quiet, not openly defiant and loud. Perhaps it was the result of reviving her bond with the Skellurdreki. Or maybe it was just the armor she was wearing. It was definitely not in any normal style of the Fractured Lands. Not any contemporary style, anyways.

But he had seen armor like that before, a long time ago. Back when he first bonded to Heimska.

"And just what have I done to your dragon, Miss Winterstorm?" Darksoul called back. He could almost see her face twist with fury.

"You locked her up and kept her from me for TWELVE YEARS!" she screamed back. Yeah, that was definitely not normal Cog down there. The Cog the city knew was quiet and cheerful. She didn't scream at anyone, let alone the ruler of her nation.

He would have said something about that, but that was when the two heads of the Skellurdreki roared wrathfully and decided to unleash their power. One head, the one with blue plates running down its neck and head, let loose a wave of ice that drove back some of the soldiers and created a sort of shield for them. The other released a blast of fire that forced his men to retreat or become charcoal. Darksoul himself stumbled back a bit as some of the flames crept a bit too close to his private balcony for his own liking, and that was when Cog and her friends struck.

* * *

Something inside me snapped when I saw the _Jarl_ watching us coldly from his spot high above, the same feeling as when I found out I had a Twin Sigil. Perhaps that's why I felt brave enough to take on some of the finest men and women in the Land of the Faded.

Once Snow and Ash had attacked, I jumped off of their back and at a man holding a crossbow. Our hands grappled for it, but I kicked him in a sensitive spot and managed to wrest it from his grasp. I kicked him away and shot him in the leg. Not in any vital part, just in a place where it would keep him from joining the fight for a little while. I may have been angry, but I wasn't going to kill anyone just yet. Only if they decided to keep on trying to kill us.

"Hiccup!" I shouted, tossing the crossbow in his direction once he looked my way. He caught it, fumbled with the handle a little, then pointed it at some approaching guards, who skidded to a halt just feet away from the rider on his black dragon. During that time, I managed to knock out a guard wielding a double-bladed sword, took her weapon, and got a crossbow of my own. Several guards shot at us this time, but between my slices, Snow's ice, and Ash's fire, none of us were hurt. Toothless was shooting blasts of some sort of purple fire every so often, but he was starting to take a few more breaks between them. I knew dragons once had a shot limit – until Myst formed all over the world – so maybe he just wasn't used to inhaling Myst so much. Wherever these two were from, it clearly wasn't rich in Myst. Berk... why did it sound slightly familiar? I knew it from somewhere, a long time ago. What was it?

"Cog, behind you!" Hiccup shouted. I twisted and brought my swords up just in time to block a blonde woman hefting an axe above her head. She glared at me with harsh blue eyes, but Snow and Ash used their tail to swat her away. I patted their necks in silent gratitude and scowled at a few more guards that thought it would be a good idea to try and attack us.

Snow blasted them away with more ice, the frigid air reaching me even from a few yards away, and Ash bit the arm of a man about to use a morning star on their tail. Right now, I was really glad I had such an awesome dragon. I had heard of some monsters with multiple heads fighting amongst themselves, but these two worked together like clockwork. It was incredible.

One man managed to cut off part of my armor, nicking my leg, but it wasn't too serious. The pain was just really annoying, that's all. A woman with a crossbow managed to shoot the straps of the lower half of my armor in half and made the leather fall around my feet. I barely managed to get out of the heaping leather entangling me before a man with a very heavy mace swung it right where I had been standing. It was a very good thing I wasn't there when it struck the ground. The stones of the courtyard ground cracked and a few pieces flew into the air with the force of the blow, and even I felt the wind from its passing.

I winced when I saw a bolt fly past Hiccup's arm, cutting him a little, and again when an axe nearly crushed his foot, but he seemed to be doing okay.

"Cog, I think we've overstayed our welcome," Hiccup said sardonically. I wanted to shout back to him, "No dip, Hiccup," but I was a little preoccupied with getting back on my dragon and staying on her back. The teenager managed to drive off a few more guards with his crossbow, but he was running out of bolts.

"Hiccup! Catch!" I shouted, pulling a quiver off some downed guard's back and throwing it at him. He caught it in his lap, slung it over his shoulder, and reloaded his crossbow with ease.

"Thanks! Let's get out of here!" he yelled back. I nodded and leaned forward, tucking my sword and crossbow into straps on my back that I had added just in case I did get weapons (I like being prepared for battle, even if I don't like unnecessary waste of life), and gripped the plates of armor on Snow and Ash's necks tightly.

"That sounds like an excellent plan!"

Our dragons spread their wings and shot into the sky, zigzagging to avoid the bolts of the guards we had left behind, and as I turned my head to look at Darksoul, it scared me to see the hate in his eyes. No one had ever despised me as much as he did at that very moment. But the brief moment of eye contact ended when a snowy wing got between us, and I focused more on staying on my dragon than worrying about the hatred of my ruler.

It's times like these that make me wish I could have taken riding lessons at the Academy, instead of having to hang out in the marketplace hoping someone would let me mooch food off of them.

* * *

 **Author's Notes: WHOO! Epic fight scene and weapons for Cog and Hiccup! Yeah! And soon we shall see Darksoul's true colors. Yeah, he's actually a strawberry blond guy with light blue eyes. I'm just kidding :P**

 ** _Or am I? DUN DUN DUNNNNNN!_**

 **Do you guys think I should do a little preview of the next episode at the end of chapter 10, like some TV shows do? I want to, because that would make this more episode-y, but I'm not sure if it would be a good idea. I'm asking you here because I won't have another chance to, and it would be best if I knew now.**

 **Anyhoo, please review! I like getting feedback. It restores some of my faith in humanity :3**

 **Wild Cat 214, out!**


	10. Chapter 10

_**Chapter 10: The First Shot**_

 **Author's Notes: The end of episode 1 has come! Soon we shall get to episode 2, and many questions shall be answered. Not all, but many.**

 **Reviews:**

 **The Story Of Your Life (Mar. 26, Chapter 9) – I always try to listen to music when I write. It helps me remain calm and not fly into a rage whenever I write a fight scene (by the way, I make faces when I'm writing dialogue, to get a feel for the emotions behind the words XD). And thank you. I rather liked their names, myself. I chose them because they have white scales and their different breath weapons, but they once had these really weird names that I can't remember.**

 **The battle with Darksoul** ** _will_** **be fun, but it's not happening until episode 15. I know, it's a long way in coming, but now you have something to look forward to! :P**

 **mc arno (Mar. 31, Chapter 9) – Thanks! I like what I'm doing with this story, and I'm glad others do, too.**

 **Disclaimer: HTTYD is not mine.**

 **Key:**

 **0*0*0 – scene change**

 **Horizontal line – perspective change**

* * *

Hiccup bent forward in the saddle as Toothless, Snow, and Ash flew over the palace quickly. If he looked to his left, he could see Cog holding onto her dragon tightly, half of her armor missing and a few scratches on her arms, but otherwise intact. He sighed inwardly and looked down at the city below, the twinkling lights of the houses and other buildings like a field of stars. A part of him was upset because he had gotten his friend hurt, but the rest of him replied with a curt remark that Cog could take care of herself.

Speaking of stars, how come he could see them, but no moon? It was late enough that it should have risen.

'Come to think of it, I didn't see one last night, either,' he thought concernedly. Maybe it was just time for the new moon. Well, it didn't matter right then. What mattered was getting out of here with their lives.

"Hey, Hiccup, we have to go down to the city! I need to grab something!" Cog shouted over the rushing air. He shot her a bemused look, even as they dove to the cobbled streets in a flash of black and white.

The few people that were still out watched them with shock as Cog jumped off of her dragon and started running down the street, glancing down some streets and alleys as she went. Hiccup followed her on Toothless, prepared to make a quick getaway if they needed to, and Snow and Ash weren't far behind. Finally, Cog stopped at the entrance to one street. Toothless barely managed to stop in time to avoid hitting her. He opened his mouth to say something sarcastic, but the look on her face stopped him. Whatever she was looking at, it was serious business.

"Hiccup, follow Nuts. He'll show you to the place we need to meet up," she said grimly. Hiccup craned his neck to see some guards racing towards them from the street she was looking at. Yeah, definitely serious business. His mouth twisted in concern.

"Will you be okay?" he asked worriedly. She grinned widely and gave him a thumbs-up.

"Of course I will be. I've got all sorts of knowledge about this city! I know this city like the back of my hand," Cog replied confidently, holding up her left hand for emphasis. Toothless warbled with just as much worry as Hiccup was feeling, but Ash growled firmly, and he grunted in understanding. That was when the tiny black and brown dragon flew out of her armor and started hovering in front of them with rapid beats of his enormous (compared to the rest of him) wings.

"Now go! I'll handle these guys," Cog shouted, pointing at the street beside them. Nuts chirped for them to follow him and flew down the stony pathway, and Hiccup glanced at Toothless.

"Well, bud, she did say she could handle them. I think she can," he murmured to reassure his dragon partner. He growled uncertainly, but started bounding down the street in the wake of Nuts. Snow and Ash remained behind with Cog to face down the guards.

* * *

I watched the armored men and women approaching us with dread. Okay, on the outside, I put on this confident, cheerful front, but these guys wanted to kill us! That would make anyone feel terrified. And while I knew how to fight, I didn't want to hurt any bystanders, even if they were just staring at me in shock and dismay.

Snow growled behind me (I knew it was her because her sounds are a lot more emotional than Ash's, and it came from the right, not the left) and I tensed up. If necessary, my Skellurdreki partner would hurt these people to protect me. I didn't want that to happen at all. Not while there was still a chance that this was just a big misunderstanding on their parts.

"Hey, there! Did you know that I'm actually not Markless?" I called to the guards. They slowed down a bit, weapons at the ready, and really looked at Snow and Ash. I silently sighed and waved in greeting.

"Yeah, so... it turns out the _Jarl_ lied when he said I was Markless after I turned five. Who would have thought he could miss something like that?" I continued casually. They blinked their eyes and scrunched up their faces in thought, and a part of me hoped I was getting through to them. One man, though, shook his head and glared at me.

"The _Jarl_ never lies. He always tells the truth," he growled in reply. Somehow, I got the slimy feeling on my back when he spoke, but it was... faded somehow, as if it was diluted. Like someone had taken the _Jarl_ 's or his sons' speech and mixed it with water before letting this guy use it. Like someone was using Myst Magic through him.

Like it was Myst Magic that could infect people, but weakened with every person.

That must have been one of the _Jarl_ 's Myst Magics, I realized with a shudder. Somehow, his every word was believed when he used it, and it had even affected me for a little while. But why wasn't it working now?

Ash growled warningly just over my head, and it hit me. My bond with Snow and Ash had been strengthened when I found them again. That must have been a Myst Magic I got from them. I could resist the effects of other people's Magics, though it had been weakened while we were separated.

"Listen, buddy, everyone lies at some point in their life! It's a part of being human. No one is perfect, not even the _Jarl_."

That was the wrong thing to say.

As soon as I mentioned Darksoul, they all shot daggers at me with their eyes and began advancing again. I backed away a bit and looked at the two heads of my dragon.

"Okay... I suggest fleeing," I said calmly. Ash gave me the coolest look ever (and I'm talking temperature-wise, not awesomeness-wise), Snow growled impatiently, and I climbed up onto them just in time to avoid being hit by a pike. It quivered where it was driven into the mortar of the street, and that stuff is pretty hard when it's dried. The fact that the blade was buried a few inches into the gray goo was proof that the woman who threw it was strong. Now imagine what that would have done to me.

Cog-kabobs, anyone?

My Skellurdreki did a quick about-face and started running back through the streets, letting me lead them to the place I needed to go. There were important things there, and I was not going to leave them behind.

0*0*0

When I reunited with Hiccup, Toothless, and Nuts, we were at the edge of the city, near the Garden of the Sylphs. I could see them by the light of the sleeping Pixies and other small monsters that slept in the trees, flowers, and shrubberies (there had been a great fuss when the Sylphs who lived there had demanded the shrubberies in return for their help with controlling the winds. To this day, I can still hear them shrilly insist, "We want a shrubbery!"). My Claptrap partner flew over and started chirping happily, nuzzling my face as he gripped the sides of my head with his wings.

"Hey, Nuts. I'm glad to see you, too. Did everything go okay getting out of the city?" I asked Hiccup, looking past the membranes of Nuts' wings. He nodded and saw the bag on my back, carefully placed over the weapons I still carried.

"Yeah, though Nuts nearly led us into an ambush. What's that?" he replied curiously, pointing at the brown cloth bag. I managed to get Nuts onto my shoulder and shrugged.

"Just some important things we might need. I always kept them... just in case I got the chance to leave the city. Now I _have_ to go," I replied resignedly. Hiccup's face fell. His mouth opened to say something, but that was when we heard someone hiss at us.

"PSST!"

We both jumped, but when a guy with unkempt black hair and shining green eyes jumped down from the tree nearest us and held his hands up to show he wasn't a threat, we both relaxed.

"Are you the reason the city is in an uproar?" he whispered. Hiccup and I shared a wry look and shrugged.

"I guess so. The _Jarl_ apparently doesn't take kindly to my taking back what is rightfully mine," I replied, pointing back at Snow and Ash. They growled warily, but that was when a green Seraph stepped out of a grove of trees nearby and barked quietly. They immediately stopped and dipped their heads in respect.

The young man smirked and folded his arms across his chest. He had on some sort of dark tunic and leggings, but they were finely made. This guy was definitely not your run-of-the-mill man in a tree.

Now that I think about it, are there run-of-the-mill men in trees?

"Then that makes you an ally. I am Levi Wolfram, rightful ruler of the Land of the Faded, and anyone who opposes that usurper's reign is a friend to me," he introduced himself, bowing slightly.

We both just stood there silently, staring at him like he had an extra head or two noses. This guy was the real leader of this land? How was that possible? Wasn't Darksoul the _Jarl_?

"Uh... Levi, isn't that Darksoul guy the ruler?" Hiccup asked, voicing one of the questions in my head. Levi scowled and spat on the ground.

"A traitor. He murdered my father with his twisted words and almost killed me. If not for Dhole, I would be with my father," he said bitterly, putting a hand on the head of the Seraph. That monster was the same as the one on the tapestry behind the throne, only green instead of gold.

"The Wolfram family... that's why the Land of the Faded has a Seraph on its coat of arms!" I exclaimed, stunned by this realization. He nodded once and turned away from us.

"That is why I have come back. I wish to challenge Darksoul, but now that I know he has control over all in the city but you two, I have a different plan. Will you help me overthrow him?" he asked seriously. I looked at Hiccup, he looked at me, and we both glanced back at Levi.

"Well, seeing as Darksoul is trying to kill us, I think we're in. What's your plan, Levi?" I asked, noting the growing din in the background. The guards were getting closer to us. If we didn't hurry, we would all be captured or killed.

"We need to get some help, and I think I know where. The Library," he explained briefly. My eyes widened in shock. No one went to the Library anymore, not if they could help it. They said it was haunted, cursed, that only fools went there without some form of protection.

"Are you insane? We can't go there! We'd need, like, a bazillion protective charms just to survive!" I hissed back. Hiccup shot me a confused glance, and I gestured that I would explain later. Apparently, Berk was both really far away and really out of the way, if he had never heard of the Library. Even people from the Land of the Sorrowful, far in the direction of the rising sun, past the Sands of Stolen Time, knew about the Library. But I digress.

Levi shrugged noncommittally and looked over us at the entrance to the Garden. By now, the light from the anolite torches the guards held was starting to bleed towards us, and I realized our time was running out.

"I may be insane, but right now, I'm the only person in this country who will help you. Do you want to take your chances with Darksoul's mercy, or the potential horrors of the Library?" he gave us an ultimatum. Sky gods, I hate it when people do that!

* * *

Hiccup glanced at Cog. She was biting her lip, sneaking peeks over her shoulder at the coming guards, and finally she made up her mind with a resigned sigh.

"Fine, we're going to the Library. Maybe I can look up stuff on the Winterstorms and Skellurdrekis there. I want to know more about Snow and Ash, and common Myst Magics their partners have," she grumbled hopefully. Levi raised an eyebrow, then grinned.

"I thought something was strange about you. You're Cog Winterstorm, aren't you? You look just like the portraits in the Hall of Ancestors," he said appraisingly. She flushed a bit and rubbed her arm.

"Um, yeah. Thank you. I didn't know I was famous to lost princes," she said quietly. Levi did some sort of shrug/wave motion with his arms that was kind of funny to see, but apparently Cog didn't think it was humorous. Instead, she blushed even harder.

"Well, Winterstorm dye is pretty popular. That _Kaupma_ _ð_ _ur_ Strut guy is the reason I was able to get in here today, and he's the one who sells it to all the other lands. It's hard to find something so well made nowadays," he replied appreciatively. Cog would have said something to refute that (at least, that's what Hiccup thought she would have said), but that was when their time ran out.

"There they are! But who's that man with them?" a guard shouted, the light from his anolite torch bleeding across the ground to the group of humans and monsters.

"I don't think now is a good time to talk about the quality of Cog's goods," Hiccup said sardonically. The other two nodded and jumped onto their monsters, Hiccup leaped into the saddle on Toothless, and they took off into the sky just as a particularly lethal-looking morning star embedded itself in the ground where they had stood. The giant of a man who wielded it glared at them as they escaped, meeting his eye with a dark challenge. This definitely wasn't over between them.

As Hiccup, Cog, and their new ally, Levi, fled Faded Dreams, a swath of pale dust and rocks began to rise over the horizon, providing a sense of ominous portent to what they would find in the cursed Library.

* * *

Darksoul looked at his three generals with undisguised, icy wrath. Dýrð, Sigur, Heiður, even _they_ had failed to stop Winterstorm and her friends from escaping. But Heimska had a new mission for them, one of redemption.

"My generals, I have news. I am reassigning you all," he began coldly. They all flinched, but as he continued with his new plan, their looks of dismay changed to expressions of delight. This was far greater than capturing some brat.

This mission was the beginning of a battle that would encompass all in the Fractured Lands.

* * *

 **Author's Notes: And with that, we come to the end of episode 1! *Cue epic ending music!* I had a lot of fun writing this one, especially that bit at the end of the Hiccup POV with the dust and the rocks. Have fun guessing what that is.**

 **The episode count is up to 20, now, and that's where it will stay. I have basic outlines of the episodes written up, so I know where I'm going with this story. Just in case you were worried.**

 **And feel free to review for this chapter, because I'll be answering any questions or replying to any comments in the first chapter of** ** _Strays, Episode 2: Last of the Winterstorms_** **. Go ahead and ask whatever you want! No, really! You can even ask me something totally random, like what Cog's favorite color is, or what Nuts' least favorite food is. Type away!**

 **Wild Cat 214, out!**


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